The “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams” retrospective is preparing for the next stop on its world tour. Originally debuting at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2017 to celebrate the label’s 70th anniversary, the blockbuster exhibit will open in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this November, coinciding with the Saudi Season festival of music and culture.
Running from November 21 to April 2 next year at the Saudi National Museum, this popular exhibition has been reimagined for its Riyadh debut.
It features a specially designed narrative curated by fashion historian Florence Müller, with scenography by Nathalie Crinière, both of whom were involved in staging the original exhibition in Paris.
The retrospective explores the brand’s seven decades of history, highlighting its iconic address at 30 Avenue Montaigne and Christian Dior’s passion for gardens, nature, and Versailles. Haute couture designs by Christian Dior and his successors—including Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons, and Maria Grazia Chiuri—will be showcased in this latest iteration.
Since its successful launch in Paris, the exhibition has traveled to various cities, often tailored to celebrate local connections with the iconic designer and the house’s history. In New York, at the Brooklyn Museum, the show highlighted Dior’s affection for the United States, where he established a presence just a year after launching his fashion house in 1947. London’s Victoria & Albert Museum explored connections with the U.K., while Tokyo’s version from December 2022 to May 2023 focused on Dior’s admiration for Japanese culture.
Additional editions have been held at the Long Museum West Bund in Shanghai and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chengdu, China.
This will not be the first Middle Eastern stop for the exhibition; Doha, Qatar’s M7 fashion and design hub hosted it in late 2021.
