The Exhibition 'From The Heart To The Hands: Dolce&Gabbana'

Curated by Florence Müller
April 7 - July 31, 2024
Palazzo Reale, Milan

The exhibition From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana (Dal Cuore alle Mani: Dolce&Gabbana), opens in Palazzo Reale, the first dedicated to the unmistakable creations of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, from Sunday 7 April to Wednesday 31 July 2024.

Promoted by the Municipality of Milan – Culture and produced by Palazzo Reale and IMG, the exhibition is curated by Florence Müller, world-renowned professor and author, director Union Française des Arts du Costume al Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and Fashion and Textile Art curator of the Denver Art Museum, choosing Milan as the first stop of an international tour that will include some of the greatest cultural centers in the world.

From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana is a declaration of love to Italian culture, source of inspiration and muse behind the spirit of the brand since its founding and traces the extraordinary creative process of its founders: from the heart, where ideas are born, to the hands, the means through which they take shape.

Exhibited in Milan’s Palazzo Reale are a number of immersive installations and specially commissioned digital artworks which place multiple creative languages in dialogue with the brand’s unique creations, building a journey through the different facets of Dolce&Gabbana’s style, from visual arts to architecture, from music to Italian traditions and from theatre to the Dolce Vita.

Bookings available at the following websites:

palazzorealemilano.it

mostradolcegabbana.com

The exhibition

The journey begins outside Palazzo Reale: the exhibition begins with a series of digital artworks created by leading contemporary visual artists, who have provided their interpretations of the of Dolce&Gabbana’s creations. These include works by: Felice Limosani, Obvious Art, Alberto Maria Colombo, Quayola, Vittorio Bonapace and Catelloo.

Handmade

The exhibition continues on the Noble Floor of Palazzo Reale through ten rooms, each exploring a key theme that underpins the essence of the fashion house, starting with a space entirely dedicated to the Fatto a Mano, the Hand Made. Welcoming visitors are paintings inspired by the Grand Tour of the Alta Moda collections by Dolce&Gabbana, signed by Anh Duong, whose iconic aesthetic blends harmoniously with the identity of the brand and in close dialogue with a selection of garments presented in this room.

The Art and Craft of Glassworking

The second room is dedicated to the art of Venetian glassworking. The display unfolds among a series of finely crafted mirrors and chandeliers, creations designed to reflect the meticulous embroidery and crystal detailing that adorns the garments exhibited alongside them.

The Leopard

The third room is a tribute to The Leopard, a recurring reference in the Dolce&Gabbana vision. Different locations from Luchino Visconti’s famous film of the novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa are evoked at the Palazzo Reale with an immersive setting that reproduces the famous ballroom scene.

Devotion

Dedicated to the theme of devotion, the fourth room is steeped in a baroque atmosphere: under the aegis of the Sacred Heart, the space presents a contemporary sancta sanctorum, a treasure chest that holds a selection of Alta Moda and Alta Gioielleria creations that alternate the charm of Sicilian black and the opulence of gold.

Ateliers, ornaments and volumes

The heart of the exhibition is the fifth room, which provides an extraordinary glimpse into the workshop practice central to Dolce&Gabbana’s Alta Moda, Alta Sartoria and Alta Gioielleria. This space, that faithfully reproduces the ateliers and laboratories of the fashion house, will see tailors, seamstresses and artisans work every Friday from 11am to 1pm and from 4pm to 6pm, immersing visitors into the creation of these pieces, from conception to completion.

Architectural and pictorial

The tour continues with a focus on architecture, a discipline that Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana draw on frequently. The immersive installation presented in the room expresses this connection by utilizing video mapping techniques in dialogue with the renaissance artworks that adorn the selection of pieces at the centre of the room.

Sicilian Traditions

The wealth of Sicilian craft tradition comes to life in the seventh room through a special hand-painted installation by master painters of the majolica and the Sicilian Cart, enriched by video-documentation of their work in progress. Here are showcased some of the Dolce&Gabbana Alta Moda creations that transform the folk symbols of the Sicilian Cart and its patterns into wearable art.

White Baroque

The exploration of Sicilian artistic tradition continues in the eighth room with a tribute to Giacomo Serpotta, master of the Baroque period who dedicated his talent to working with stucco. Displayed here is a selection of dresses from the Stucchi Alta Moda Collection that merges with the surrounding space in a great visual symphony.

Dream of Divinity

The ninth room reflects the dimension of the myth, of the opulence and the dream: on one side Greek deities that materialize under the form of ethereal dresses from the Alta Moda Collection presented in the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento; on the other, a selection of Alta Sartoria creations embellished by elegant mosaics that celebrate the wealth of Italian byzantine basilicas.

Opera

The exhibition concludes with the tenth room, which is dedicated to the strong connection between the world of Opera and the vision of Dolce&Gabbana. The interior of the Palazzo Reale is broken down and reshaped as the interior of an Italian theater, where crimson curtains and tiers of boxes open onto a scene where creations that have been inspired by the designers’ most beloved Operas are in the spotlight.

“This extensive exhibition project is the result of a significant network of knowledge and art, forged through a genuine collaboration between Palazzo Reale and Dolce&Gabbana, - states Councillor for Culture Tommaso Sacchi -. The project unfolds across multiple floors, narrating the story of one of the preeminent fashion houses globally. Italy’s extraordinary artisanal craftsmanship has always been abundant; this journey explores the myriad sources of inspiration for two internationally renowned designers, deeply rooted in our country’s history, spanning from art to architecture, and from music to cinema. It’s an extraordinary showcase where the garment, though splendid, is merely one facet of expression within a broader, more encompassing vision. The generosity of these two artists, who share a profound affection for Milan, extends beyond selecting it as the inaugural destination for their grand exhibition world tour. They also contribute to the restoration of artworks and rooms within Palazzo Reale, including the magnificent Throne Room.”