The Musée des Arts Décoratifs is to showcase 30 years of couture by Dutch design duo Viktor & Rolf.
Curated by Thierry-Maxime Loriot, the major retrospective is scheduled to open Jan. 28, 2027, and run through July 4 in the Christine & Stephen A. Schwarzman galleries, which stretch over two levels.
It is to showcase more than 100 haute couture creations that have “continually pushed the boundaries between fashion, art, and performance,” according to the museum.
The designers’ miniature dolls, archival materials, and immersive installations and projections will also be incorporated into the display, highlighting “a creative practice that seamlessly combines exceptional craftsmanship, theatricality, and conceptual innovation.”
“Worn by celebrities including Lady Gaga, Madonna, Tilda Swinton, Cardi B, and Cindy Sherman, their creations have helped redefine the relationship between haute couture and contemporary art.”
The exhibition was conceived by Loriot for the Kunsthalle München in 2024.
Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren established their fashion house in 1993, and it has been controlled since 2008 by Renzo Rosso’s Italian fashion group OTB, which recently raised its stake to 100 percent.
The Paris exhibition is to be organized by theme, and display the designers’ most iconic creations, including the “Russian Doll” collection famously modeled by Maggie Rizer, and the “Fashion Statement” collection of tulle dresses bearing such slogans as “No Photos Please” and “I’m Not Shy I Just Don’t Like You.”
Christina Aguilera in Viktor & Rolf couture.
Stephane Feugere for WWD
It will also delve into the duo’s collaborations with the performing arts as well as explorations of upcycling and the creative reuse of materials.
In addition to couture, the designers create ready-to-wear, bridalwear and eyewear. The house also has a long-standing collaboration with L’Oréal Luxe, which for more than two decades has developed and distributed globally high-end fragrances such as Flowerbomb, Spicebomb and Bonbon.
Their artistic creations have been celebrated by some of the world’s leading cultural institutions through exhibitions and showcases across Europe, Asia and the U.S., including the Met Museum in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum and Barbican Art Gallery in London, Maxxi in Rome, Kunsthalle Munich, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Sea World Culture and Arts Center in Shenzhen.
