Make Texture a preferred source on Google to support us
Add Texture to GoogleIn Rome, Piazza Mignanelli 23 is no ordinary address. This 16th-century palace, located just a few steps from the Spanish Steps, has been the historic home of the House of Valentino since 1967, housing both its headquarters and its design studios. It is in this setting steeped in history that the Fondazione Valentino Garavani e Giancarlo Giammetti is inaugurating “AURA,” an exhibition that showcases an aesthetic encounter between haute couture and contemporary art. Starting October 18, 2026, the public will be able to explore a visual dialogue between the Valentino Garavani archives and the works of Polish painter Ewa Juszkiewicz.
A dialogue between volume and surface
The exhibition revolves around a formal dialogue between two distinct mediums: textile sculpture and oil painting. The collection on display brings together 38 haute couture gowns carefully selected from Valentino Garavani’s historical archives. These pieces, testaments to decades of craftsmanship, are juxtaposed with 26 monumental paintings by Ewa Juszkiewicz. Born in 1984 in Gdańsk, Juszkiewicz has made a name for herself on the international scene through her critical and technical reinterpretation of the classical female portrait.
Juszkiewicz’s work is based on a methodical deconstruction of traditional imagery. Whereas the classical portrait seeks to capture identity through the face, the Polish artist chooses to conceal her subjects’ features. Faces are replaced by complex compositions: drapery with precise folds, intricate interlacing of hair, or dense plant-like structures. This approach resonates directly with the work of Valentino Garavani, whose silhouettes are conceived as architecture in motion. The exhibition highlights this interplay between clothing that sculpts the body and painting that uses fabric as a mask or a substitute ornament.
The centerpiece: *A Portrait in Valentino Red*
At the center of this exhibition is a previously unseen work, unveiled for the first time: *A PORTRAIT in VALENTINO RED*. Ewa Juszkiewicz created this painting specifically for the event, after exploring the house’s archives during the summer of 2026. The artist drew inspiration from a particular piece: a red dress from the Valentino Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2007–2008 collection. This work encapsulates the essence of the exhibition by blending the Italian designer’s iconic color with the painter’s signature facial substitution technique.
The choice of this 2007 dress underscores the continuity of the Valentino style, in which red is not merely a color but a structural element of the brand’s visual identity. By transforming this silhouette into a monumental pictorial figure, Juszkiewicz explores the role of adornment and the way in which a garment, on its own, can embody a human presence, even in the absence of identifiable features.
Behind the Scenes of a Major Production
The organization of the “AURA” exhibition at the PM23 cultural space is the result of close collaboration between the foundation and the international galleries representing Ewa Juszkiewicz, notably Gagosian and Almine Rech. The project entered an accelerated planning phase beginning in May 2026, spearheaded by Pepi Marchetti Franchi, senior director at Gagosian, in order to take advantage of an available slot in the PM23 space’s calendar.
The selection of works on display comes from a variety of sources, reflecting private collectors’ interest in this interdisciplinary dialogue. In addition to pieces belonging to Giancarlo Giammetti, collectors such as Glori Cohen and Jen Rubio have loaned major works to comprise this collection. This third exhibition hosted by the Fondazione Valentino Garavani e Giancarlo Giammetti reaffirms the institution’s commitment to transforming its historic headquarters into a cultural hub open to contemporary creativity.
Practical Information and Access
The “AURA” exhibition opened on October 16, 2026, in the presence of Rome’s mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, underscoring the event’s significance for the cultural life of the Italian capital. It will be open to the public from October 18, 2026, to February 21, 2027.
The venue, PM23, is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and is closed on Mondays. Several ticket options are available for visitors:
- Full price online: €16.00
- Full price at the door: €18.00
- Reduced rate for those 65 and older: €15.00
- Student rate (up to age 26): €12.00
- Youth rate (ages 8–18): €10.00
Through this juxtaposition of Valentino Garavani’s creations and Ewa Juszkiewicz’s paintings, “AURA” invites reflection on the representation of women and the narrative power of fashion archives as they move beyond the runway and into the gallery space.