Janet Jackson
Naomi Campbell
Leonie Hanne
Amina Muaddi
Yoon Ahn
Balqees Fathi
Anna Dello Russo
Mohamed Al Turki
CEO Jacopo Venturini and Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli
DATE: October 27th, 2022
EVENT: Forever Valentino Exhibition Opening night
LOCATION: M7 Museum, Doha
CREDIT: GettyImages
On October 27th 2022, Qatar Creates, Qatar Museums and Maison Valentino
hosted the opening of ‘Forever Valentino’, a major exhibition that pays homage to the founder of
the fashion house, Valentino Garavani, and its still-unfolding heritage of Haute Couture excellence.
The exhibition is now on view at M7, Msheireb Downtown Doha’s design and innovation hub.
The exhibition is the largest ever devoted to Maison Valentino and is the first presentation in
the Middle East of the firm’s creative achievements. Coinciding with the celebration of Valentino
Garavani’s 90th birthday and the unveiling of the Valentino “The Beginning” Haute Couture
collection in the heart of Rome, the exhibition is conceived as a vast panorama of the history of the
fashion house, embedded in scenography that evokes the Eternal City, where Maison Valentino was
established in 1959.
Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa said: “With the world’s eyes on Doha as we launch into our exciting schedule of events surrounding the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM, I am proud that we are welcoming the public to an exhibition that is as imaginative, glamorous, and elegant as the subject itself: the creations of Maison Valentino. I express my warmest thanks to everyone who collaborated with us to realize this tribute to a great artistic vision, and I look forward to continuing to share extraordinary explorations of the best of fashion and design.”
“Working on a fashion exhibition is an absolute exception for me and I couldn’t think of a better opportunity than presenting the work of Maison Valentino and collaborating with Pierpaolo Piccioli, Alexander Fury and the many great teams that have made this exhibition possible. Working in Doha is always very special: it’s a place where dreams of artists come alive and working on this show has really been somewhat of a dream, or perhaps a ‘capriccio’, a flight of fantasy that only in Doha could become a reality.” Massimiliano Gioni
“Maison Valentino is one of the world’s most important fashion houses, led today by Pierpaolo
Piccioli, undoubtedly one of the great designers of our time. It has been an honour and privilege
to work alongside Massimiliano Gioni, Pierpaolo and the whole Maison Valentino team on this
exhibition - on the awe-inspiring and slightly incredible task of bringing Rome to Doha, transporting
a context along with Valentino’s creations. The legacy of Valentino Garavani - and therefore the
meaning of Valentino - is to celebrate beauty, in all its incarnations, from every walk of life and every
period of time. That noble quest, that ceaseless search for and celebration of beauty to better the
world is, for me, Forever Valentino.” Alexander Fury
Featuring over 200 Valentino Haute Couture pieces and prêt-à-porter outfits, ‘Forever Valentino’ is
presented on mannequins by La Rosa and accompanied by accessories and fashion objects displayed
in an immersive scenography. It weaves a richly textured image of the city of Rome with private
memories from the Maison’s six decades-long history, including rarely seen ensembles designed
for the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and, more recently, Zendaya, along
with stunning creations and virtuosic examples of Valentino’s excellence.
Curated by Massimiliano Gioni, Artistic Director of the New Museum New York, and fashion
critic and author Alexander Fury, along with Valentino’s Creative Director, Pierpaolo Piccioli, the
exhibition also features ensembles from the private collection of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint
Nasser, a long-standing client of the fashion house.
Visitors can view the exhibition at Gallery 1 and 2, M7, in Msheireb Downtown Doha, from 28
October 2022 to 1 April 2023. Tickets can be purchased through the Qatar Creates website, with
special access and discounts for One Pass holders: www.qacreates.com. Launched as a gateway to
arts and culture for all residents and visitors, the One Pass offers access to over 300 events and
experiences, including art and cultural exhibitions, museums, live events, festivals, theatre and
musicals, throughout November and December 2022.
ABOUT THE CURATORS
MASSIMILIANO GIONI
Massimiliano Gioni is an Italian curator and contemporary art critic based in New York City.
He is the Edlis Neeson Artistic Director at the New Museum, New York.
At the New Museum Gioni has curated numerous exhibitions, including solo shows by, among
others, John Akomfrah, Ed Atkins, Lynda Benglis, Tacita Dean, Nicole Eisenman, Urs Fischer, Hans
Haacke, Camille Henrot, Carsten Höller, Kahlil Joseph, Ragnar Kjartansson, Sarah Lucas, Gustav
Metzger, Marta Minujin, Chris Ofili, Raymond Pettibon, Carol Rama, Faith Ringgold, Pipilotti
Rist, Anri Sala, Peter Saul, Nari Ward, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye.
He has organized major group shows including “After Nature” (2008); “Ostalgia” (2011); “Here and
Elsewhere” (2014); “ The Keeper” (2016); and “Grief and Grievance: Art and Mourning in America”
(2021). Gioni’s international exhibitions include “The Warmth of Other Suns” at the Phillips
Collection (Washington DC, 2019); “The Restless Earth” (Milan, Triennale, 2017) and “The Great
Mother” (Milan Expo at Palazzo Reale, 2015), both with the Nicola Trussardi Foundation; the 10th
Gwangju Biennale (2010); New Museum Triennial (2009); Berlin Biennale (2006); and Manifesta 5
(2004). He was the artistic director of the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013, and in 2022 curated the
major solo exhibition “Jeff Koons: Lost in America” in Doha at Qatar Museums Gallery - Al Riwaq.
ALEXANDER FURY
Alexander Fury is a fashion journalist, author and critic. He is the fashion director of AnOther
Magazine and the men’s critic of the Financial Times.
From 2013 to 2016 Fury was fashion editor of the Independent, i and the Independent on Sunday
newspapers, and chief fashion correspondent of T: The New York Times Style magazine (2016-2018).
In 2018, Fury received the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the Academy of Art
University, San Francisco. He has contributed to numerous publications, including international
editions of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, System and Document Journal.
Fury has published monographs charting the work of fashion designers and houses including
Christian Dior, Vivienne Westwood and Chanel. He has also contributed to exhibition catalogues
for Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams at the Museé Arts Décoratifs, Paris; Savage Beauty at the
Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore! at Somerset House, London;
and the exhibitions Claude Parent: Dessiner la Mode and Richard Wentworth à la Maison Alaïa
at the Galerie Azzedine Alaïa, Paris. In 2018, Alexander Fury was the writer for the exhibition
Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier at the Design Museum, London, the first UK retrospective of the
designer’s work. “Forever Valentino” is his first exhibition as curator.
ABOUT MAISON VALENTINO
Maison Valentino is synonymous with inclusiveness, uniqueness and creativity; a leading Italian
institution in the fashion and luxury sector. The company, with its signature DNA, is a landmark
of Made in Italy on the international scene, the most established Italian Maison de Couture with
presence in Prêt-à-Porter sectors including Women’s, Men’s, Couture collections, and in activities
with licensed partners in Valentino Eyewear and Valentino Beauty. Jacopo Venturini, CEO from June
2020, and Pierpaolo Piccioli, sole Creative Director from 2016 are re-signifying the iconic codes
leveraging Valentino’s unrivalled brand heritage in the contemporary world. Together they are
developing and implementing a client-centricity project based on brand’s identity, being the most
established Italian Maison de Couture. Couture is synonymous with obsessive attention to detail, to
quality, to the importance of creativity and to the personal relationship between the customer and
the company. The result is a strategic vision that puts people at its core, both internal and in terms
of organizational structure, and external, shifting the focus on environmental responsibility.
The new people-centric company culture certainly cannot be separated from the green transition
started by the company years ago, which Venturini has decisively accelerated. Maison Valentino
is present in over 145 locations through a strategic distribution network enhanced to date, which
involves more than 213 directly operated boutiques located in key shopping locations around the
world and over 1,100 points of sale. Founded in 1960 by Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti,
Valentino S.p.A. is controlled by Mayhoola for Investments LLC since 2012. The acquisition allowed
for a rapid development of the brand’s potential, which still continues today.
ABOUT QATAR MUSEUMS
Qatar Museums (QM), the nation’s preeminent institution for art and culture, provides authentic
and inspiring cultural experiences through a growing network of museums, heritage sites, festivals,
public art installations, and programmes. QM preserves, restores, and expands the nation’s cultural
offerings and historical sites, sharing art and culture from Qatar, the Middle East, North Africa,
and South Asia (MENASA) region with the world and enriching the lives of citizens, residents, and
visitors. Under the patronage of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and
led by its Chairperson, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, QM
has made Qatar a vibrant centre for the arts, culture, and education in the Middle East and beyond.
QM is integral to the goal of developing an innovative, diverse, and progressive nation, bringing
people together to ignite new thinking, spark critical cultural conversations, educate and encourage
environmental stewardship and sustainable practices, and amplify the voices of Qatar’s people.
Since its founding in 2005, QM has overseen the Museum of Islamic Art and MIA Park, Mathaf:
Arab Museum of Modern Art, the National Museum of Qatar, QM Gallery Al Riwaq, QM Gallery
Katara, 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, and Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar, which
is currently under development.
Through its newly created Creative Hub, QM also initiates and supports projects—such as the Fire
Station Artist in Residence, the Tasweer Qatar Photo Festival and the creative hub for innovation,
fashion and design M7—that nurture artistic talent and create opportunities to build a strong and
sustainable cultural infrastructure. Animating everything that Qatar Museums does is an authentic
connection to Qatar and its heritage, a steadfast commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, and
a belief in creating value through invention.
ABOUT M7
M7 is Qatar’s epicentre for innovation and entrepreneurship in fashion and design. Established
by Qatar Museums under the leadership of Her Excellency Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin
Khalifa Al Thani, M7 is committed to accelerating the growth of Qatar’s creative economy by
providing mentorship and opportunities for designers to build a successful business both locally
and internationally, while encouraging the fashion and design industry to play their part in the
growth of Qatar’s creative circular ecosystem. M7’s platforms include comprehensive incubation
and mentorship programmes, world-class exhibitions and pop-ups, and public discussions. Located
at the heart of Msheireb Downtown Doha, M7 serves to create a space for creatives by working
closely with its Resident Partners, Cutting Studio, Studio 7, Scale 7, Fromm, Workinton and Profiles.
ABOUT QATAR CREATES
Qatar Creates curates, celebrates, and promotes cultural activities within Qatar. Working with
partners in museums, film, fashion, hospitality, cultural heritage, performing arts, and the private
sector in Qatar, the Qatar Creates platform amplifies the voice of Qatar’s creative industries, directly
connecting audiences to events.
ABOUT ONE PASS
One Pass is a gateway to arts and culture for all residents and visitors. One Pass holders will get access
to over 300 events and experiences, including art and cultural exhibitions, museums, live events,
festivals, theatre, and musicals during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM. Bearers of the tiered-
level pass will enjoy benefits including free admission to all museums, discounts at performances,
restaurants, and local retailers, as well as front-of-line privileges for during the FIFA World Cup
Qatar 2022TM.OFFICIAL TAG: @maisonvalentino