"Balenciaga Artean" debuts at Milano Design Week A new exhibition dialogue between art and fashion

On the occasion of the Milano Design Week, Balenciaga presents Balenciaga Artean, an exhibition that celebrates the values of the Maison, its founder Cristóbal Balenciaga, and the creative encounter with Eduardo Chillida. The exhibition marks the first major artistic project initiated by Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli and inaugurates what is set to become an ongoing exhibition series at the flagship store on Via Montenapoleone.

Artean is a word of Basque origin meaning “between” or “interval”: a space of connection that brings together multiple concepts. Within this perspective, the first chapter of the project presents seven works by the renowned Basque artist, some of which pay direct tribute to Cristóbal Balenciaga, placed among the boutique’s current collections. What emerges is a layered dialogue between art and fashion, rooted in a relationship that began decades ago.

«Chillida’s work represents a tangible memory of Cristóbal’s deep admiration for the artist, embodying an open dialogue that has never been interrupted. I am happy and proud to share part of this story and extremely grateful to the Eduardo Chillida Estate for understanding and supporting our vision. I am certain that anyone visiting the exhibition will immediately perceive how powerful and enduring this creative dialogue is», stated Pierpaolo Piccioli.

Among the many tributes Chillida dedicated to thinkers he admired, several works are devoted to the couturier. Among these is the iron sculpture Homenaje a Balenciaga (1990), presented here as a reduced model, alongside other works such as Proyecto Peine del Viento I (1966) and Lotura XVIII (1991).

The realization of the installation, in collaboration with the Eduardo Chillida Estate and the Hauser & Wirth gallery, holds a deeply personal value for Piccioli, reflecting his long-standing admiration for the artist’s philosophy and practice, now present in major international museums and sculpture parks.

The exhibition Balenciaga Artean – Eduardo Chillida opened on April 21 at the Milan flagship store, in the presence of Mikel Chillida, the artist’s grandson and director of Chillida-Leku, the open-air museum created by Chillida himself and now dedicated to his legacy. Balenciaga Artean offers a unique opportunity to explore the deep resonance between two expressive disciplines, such as fashion and art, which find a shared space of exchange and dialogue.