After un percorso di lavoro. Fendi/Karl Lagerfeld 1985. After steps through work

The exhibition project hosted at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, conceived by Maria Grazia Chiuri and curated by Maria Luisa Frisa, is a contemporary reinterpretation of the exhibition that opened on 5 October 1985 in the museum’s galleries. The exhibition celebrated the first twenty years of the collaboration between FENDI and Karl Lagerfeld, a creative partnership that lasted until the designer’s death in 2019.

The word “After” has been added before the original title to signify the necessary recontextualisation of objects and images with a view to creating something new. The current exhibition, however, follows as closely as possible in the footsteps of the historic 1985 exhibition – one of the first dedicated to a fashion brand to be held in an Italian museum – allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the world of Lagerfeld and the fashion house, and to discover the creativity and innovative approach that transformed the language of Italian furriery and luxury.

The exhibition aims to illustrate the various stages of creating a haute couture garment, from the initial inspiration through the design process to the final realization, and is divided into the sections “Tavolette,” “Caleidoscopio,” “Matrici Progettuali,” “Teatro,” “Pettine,” “Video,” “Schizzi,” and “Computer,” following the original layout conceived by Karl Lagerfeld himself in 1985. Where possible, the historic exhibition structures have been recreated, while elements that are no longer available (fabrics and furs) have been replaced by reproductions from the archival collection.

The exhibition concludes with a selection from the extensive 1985 press coverage, documenting the debate on whether fashion should be displayed in an art museum, featuring articles by art historians and critics such as Giulio Carlo Argan, Maurizio Calvesi and Achille Bonito Oliva.

Photo Giorgio Benni, courtesy Fendi