The de Young Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco is currently presenting the world premiere retrospective of Oscar de la Renta. The exhibition curated by André Leon Talley, former editor-at-large at Vogue and a lifelong friend of de la Renta, has been organized in close collaboration with the House of Oscar de la Renta and the designer’s family and will include more than 130 designs produced over five decades.
“I am honored and excited to be the curator of the definitive Oscar de la Renta retrospective exhibition at the de Young museum,” said André Leon Talley. “This privilege is exceedingly important for me after years of close friendship with Oscar, as well as a strong working relationship during my life at Vogue. My goal is to highlight the extraordinary depth of Oscar’s creative aesthetic from his earliest designs for Jane Derby throughout the five decades of his remarkable career.”
Pieces in the exhibition will be drawn from the designer’s personal collection, the archives of the House of Balmain and public and private collections from around the world and the Fine Arts Museums’ costume collection.
These garments are organized into several thematic sections: early work; Spanish, Eastern, Russian and garden influences; daywear and eveningwear; and ball gowns and red carpet ensembles. The presentation traces the rise of de la Renta’s career in Spain, where he gained his first commissions; his formative years spent in the world’s most iconic fashion houses; and his eventual role as a designer for many of the most influential and celebrated personalities of the 20th and 21st centuries. The exhibition is currently on view now thru May 30, 2016.
Visiting | de Young
Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco Open 9:30 a.m.– 5:15 p.m. Tuesdays–Sundays. Open select holidays; closed most Mondays.
Tickets start at $30
For adults, tickets start at $30 and include general admission; discounts are available for seniors, students, and youths. Special Premium tickets are also available. Members and children 5 and under are free. Prices subject to change, more information is available at deyoungmuseum.org/delarenta.
Photo credits: Top (l) Cocktail dress Resort 1969 Printed silk organza Kent State University Museum Gift of Oscar de la Renta, Top (r) Caftan Summer 1982 Hand-painted silk crepe de chine Kent State University Museum, Silverman/Rodgers Collection, Bottom (l) Hand-painted silk crepe de chine Kent State University Museum, Silverman/Rodgers Collection, Bottom (r) Summer 1967 Yellow cotton and synthetic matelassé, metallic ribbon, bead appliqué Kent State University Museum
Gift of Oscar de la Renta
