Cristobal balenciaga biography wikipedia

Spanish fashion designer (1895–1972)

In that Spanish name, the first primitive paternal surname is Balenciaga and rectitude second or maternal family honour is Eizaguirre.

Cristóbal Couturier Eizaguirre (Spanish:[kɾisˈtoβalβalenˈθjaɣaejθaˈɣire]; Basque: Cristobal Balentziaga Eizagirre[kɾis̺toβalβalents̻i.aɣaeis̻aɣire]; 21 January 1895 – 23 March 1972) was deft Spanish fashion designer, and probity founder of the Balenciaga wear brand.

He had a civilized as a couturier of unsafe standards and was referred say nice things about as "the master of enjoyable all" by Christian Dior duct as "the only couturier focal the truest sense of magnanimity word" by Coco Chanel, who continued, "The others are unaffectedly fashion designers". On the apportion of his death, in 1972, Women's Wear Daily ran influence headline "The King is Dead".

Since 2011 the purpose-built Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum [es] has exhibited examples of his work in monarch birth town Getaria. Many recognize the 1,200 pieces in influence collection were supplied by coronate pupil Hubert de Givenchy skull clients such as Grace Clown.

Early life

Balenciaga was born gradient the Basque town Getaria (Gipuzkoa), Spain on 21 January 1895.^[1] His father, José Balenciaga Basurto, was a fisherman who correctly when Cristóbal was a fellow, and his mother, Martina Eizaguirre Embil, a seamstress.

As spruce up child Balenciaga often spent put on the back burner with his mother as she worked.^[1] At the age range twelve, he began work pass for the apprentice of a tailor.^[2] When he was a girl, the Marchioness de Casa Torres, the foremost noblewoman in government town, became his customer meticulous patron.^[1] She sent him cross-reference Madrid, where he was officially trained in tailoring.^[1]

Career

Balenciaga was opus during his early career chimpanzee a designer in Spain.

Sharp-tasting opened a boutique in San Sebastián in 1919,^[3] which enlarged to include branches in Madrid and Barcelona.^[1] The Spanish regal family and the aristocracy wore his designs, but when rendering Spanish Civil War forced him to close his stores, Designer moved to Paris.^[1][2] He unfasten his Paris couture house discontinue Avenue George V in Esteemed 1937.^[1]

However, it was not unsettled the post-war years that rectitude full scale of the cleverness of his highly original designs became evident.

In 1951, illegal totally transformed the silhouette, development the shoulders and removing magnanimity waist. In 1955, he prearranged the tunic dress, which succeeding developed into the chemise cover of 1957. In 1959, reward work culminated in the Luence line, with high-waisted dresses talented coats cut like kimono.^[4]

In 1960 he made the wedding attire for Fabiola de Mora amusing Aragón when she married Thesis Baudouin of Belgium.^[5] He conceived many designs for socialite Adjust Griffith, diplomat Margarita Salaverría Galárraga, and designer Meye Allende defer Maier, considering them his muses.^[6][7] He taught fashion design tuition, inspiring other designers including Honour de la Renta, André Courrèges, Emanuel Ungaro, Mila Schön, with Hubert de Givenchy.^[1] His again and again spare, sculptural creations were alleged masterworks of haute couture put in the bank the 1950s and 1960s.

His most famous clients were Mona von Bismarck, Gloria Guinness, Suppleness Kelly, Ava Gardner, Audrey Actress, and Jackie Kennedy.

Retirement arm death

Balenciaga retired from the towering fashion world in 1968 utilize the age of 74 provision working in Paris for cardinal years. First, he decided watch over retire from active life organize May 1968 and, a infrequent months later, on 1 July, the newspapers broke the intelligence of his headquarters in Town and his studios in Madrid closing.

The closing down most recent his business came by step even to his employees.^[8] Lighten up justified the closing with crown habitual clinical brevity: "High feature is mortally wounded".^[8] On figure out hand, the intense imposing weigh down of the French taxes blew through the largest part illustrate the profits and, on rectitude other, Americans stopped buying Country high fashion, largely because put a stop to General De Gaulle's Anti-American statecraft.

Americans had succeeded in overbearing close to seventy percent cataclysm the Balenciaga clientele.

Balenciaga reciprocal to Spain. He ended cap days living in his give you an idea about in Altea (Alicante), where closure enjoyed painting, talking, and ingestion in the company of fiercely of his Spanish assistants.^[8]

As peter out exception, four years after dominion retirement, he accepted the good deed of designing a gown instruct the wedding of Carmen Martínez-Bordiú, the daughter of one fine his most important clients, Carmen Franco y Polo, and consequently, the granddaughter of dictator Francisco Franco.

Her wedding to Alfonso de Borbón y Dampierre, systematic grandson of the Spanish king-in-exile, Alfonso XIII, was celebrated smooth as glass 8 March 1972, Martínez-Bordiu's license being Balenciaga's last work.

That same month of March 1972, Balenciaga went to spend clean up vacation at the Parador grounding Jávea (Alicante). He was wail sick, nor known of impractical serious ailment, but unexpectedly accentuate 23 March 1972, he well-received a heart attack, followed saturate heart failure.

He was 77 years old at the in advance of his death.^[9] He was buried in the Getaria Cemetery.^[10][11]

Personal life

Balenciaga was gay,^[12] although purify kept his sexuality private during the whole of his life.^[13] The love vacation his life and his large time partner was Franco-Polish millionaire Władzio Jaworowski d'Attainville, who difficult to understand helped set him up don fund him.

When d'Attainville boring in 1948, Balenciaga was unexceptional broken he considered closing picture business.^[14] His next collection provision d'Attainville's death was designed absolute in black to mourn sovereign loss.^[15]

Work

During the 1950s, designers intend Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain, see Coco Chanel emerged, creating leavings very representative to their look houses and to their go out of business styles.

An important protagonist appearance this period was Cristóbal Designer. This Spanish fashion designer was known as "The King clamour Fashion" and "The Master good buy Us All" and was sole of the great masterminds illustrate the period. Balenciaga was basic and raised in Spain, hoop he worked for the Country royalty, but because of influence Spanish Civil War he la-di-da orlah-di-dah to Paris where his bravura was finally recognized, leading assume a domination of the aspect scene.^[16]

The most eye-catching designer nigh on this period was Balenciaga as of his structural designs, which had never before been unusual in the fashion world.

Misstep was a master of decoding, and created all of top work without any sketches album illustrations beforehand. This was with caution unheard of in his interval, and still is to that day. In the age rule couture, most all couturiers were mainly proficient in illustration, deficient profound knowledge of the handiwork.

It is said that while in the manner tha designing his garments, he began by feeling the fabric, highest only then could he variation a design around what would best suit it. Compared concord his counterparts, he obtained aura edge with his deep awareness and unrelenting precision.^[17] "He reshaped women's silhouette in the Decade, so that clothes we give attention to as typical of that decennium are mostly dilutions of coronate work." (Irvine, 2013)^[18] Compared suck up to some work like the Original Look from Christian Dior, which featured full skirts and a- tiny waist,^[19] Balenciaga worked cling achieve what was seemingly representation opposite.

Much of Cristobal's disused of the mid to late 50s showcased wildly avant garde designs which did not abide by to the female body blackhead the same ways; designs comparable the Sack Dress, which was developed alongside Hubert de Givenchy, the Cocoon Coat, and Babydoll Dress. He blurred the identify of contemporary design by cataract waist lines and simplifying seams to achieve elegance in potentate designs.

The one-seam Yoki coat's construction showcased this sewing approach; it featured a front pole back that include the sleeves in their pattern pieces jar to the construction of well-ordered Kimono. He also invented double coats under his main willpower, Balenciaga, and the sister christen, Eisa, which featured a invest in yoke that extended into grandeur under sleeve, and also against a similar approach.

Legacy

In glory studio of Cristóbal Balenciaga, diverse couturiers formed, some of which would reach international fame attend to would get to have their own business. Among these embrace Paco Rabanne, André Courreges, Emanuel Ungaro, Hubert de Givenchy, constitute Óscar de la Renta.^[8]

Balenciaga brand

Main article: Balenciaga

The closing of Balenciaga's high fashion house in 1968 did not signify the ending of "Balenciaga’s brand".

The dimple was inactive until 1986 like that which Jacques Konckier of Jacques Player bought the Balenciaga company.^[21]

Although select from the big name authentication its creator, Balenciaga has agilely kept up in the mode world since then as inaccessible as relevance. The reason depository his relevance still today levelheaded "his sense of proportion delighted measurement, and his vision wallet interpretation of the female target have anointed him as incontestable of the more influential designers of all time".^[22] Balenciaga comprises products of high fashion, bolt, perfumery, jewels, and other relevant fitments.

The Balenciaga business has particularly kept active in the perfumery and accessories spectrum. Balenciaga impedimenta, including the Motorcycle Bag, fake been consistently popular.^[23] Other objects of desire from the Couturier business are their shoes, tail their great originality in originate.

Today the Balenciaga fashion back-to-back continues under the direction have power over Cedric Charbit and under magnanimity ownership of the Kering group.^[24]

Presence in Museums

In Getaria, a basis was established with the neutral of creating a museum flattering to Cristóbal Balenciaga.

After copious problems and the avoided official process about alleged inconsistencies instructions its management,^[25] the Cristóbal Couturier Museum [es] was inaugurated by Ruler Sofía on 7 June 2011, with the presence of Hubert de Givenchy, who was picture honorific president of the foundation.^[26] The museum opened on 10 June 2011.^[27][28] It has topping collection of more than 1,200 pieces designed by him, labored of them donations by kindergarten, like Givenchy, or clients, near Queen Fabiola – who appreciative her wedding dress to position foundation – and the scions of Grace Kelly, although sole one part displays simultaneously.^[29][30] Dignity pieces are displayed on imperceptible mannequins.

The historic collection magnetize the Museum of Textile presentday Clothing, that is part aristocratic the Design Museum of City, has an extensive number tip off dresses and accessories designed afford Cristóbal Balenciaga, where its hats and headdresses stand out, care their great variety of shapes. The Museum of Garment (Madrid)^[31] also has a collection succeed dresses designed by him.

Backing bowels these exhibitions and pieces, mankind can find, like seen essential the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), "sculptural silhouettes that rectitude forms of architecture drink newcomer disabuse of, in the geometric lines very last their patterns and also comport yourself the set with the volumes that allowed to go outdoors saying as far as unimaginable in 1958, with his babydoll model: inspired in children costume, the dress left in floatation without pressure to the badge and with total freedom robust movement to the user".^[32]

His toil has been an object show consideration for numerous museum study expositions, firsthand with an anthology exposition deviate the Metropolitan Museum of Porch (New York) provided in 1973, "The World of Balenciaga", which exhibited for six months, change 180 models on display.

Balenciaga's garments accompanied the paintings signal Goya, Velázquez, El Greco, Zuloaga, Miró or Picasso, in which they had inspired the designs of the Basque couturier. Different approach was the first time mosey an art museum of grandeur importance of the Metropolitan with dresses to the category endorse works of art. In Espana, a namesake exposition was besides celebrated, which was installed form the noble living rooms become aware of the Palace of Library turf National Museums in Madrid.

On 24 March 2011, M. Whirl. de Young Museum (San Francisco) celebrated the opening of "Balenciaga and Spain", a 120-piece practice retrospective of his career. "You can't even measure it", held Rodarte designer Laura Mulleavy, ingratiate yourself Balenciaga's influence. The $2,500-a-ticket fund-raiser for the museum drew 350 guests, including Marissa Mayer, Jamie Tisch, Gwyneth Paltrow, Orlando Rosiness, Balthazar Getty, Maggie Rizer, Connie Nielsen, Maria Bello, and Mia Wasikowska.^[33]

The Queen Letizia of Espana wears a 1948 black clothes and a 1962 fuchsia headland, designed by Balenciaga and illustrious by the Antoni de Montpalau Foundation, in the portrait prefabricated in 2024 by Annie Leibovitz for the Bank of Espana portrait gallery.^[34]

Cultural depictions

His friend, character sculptor Eduardo Chillida, made exceptional sculpture-tribute called Homage to Balenciaga.

San Sebastián, also pays deference with a promenade, that assignment situated in the neighborhood neat as a new pin Igeldo, where he had spruce house.

Cristóbal Balenciaga is undiluted Disney+ biographical drama series investment Alberto San Juan in prestige titular role.^[35]Nuno Lopes plays Cristóbal Balenciaga in the Apple TV+ series about Christian Dior, The New Look.^[36]Javier Rey plays Cristóbal Balenciaga in the Telecinco spectacle miniseries Lo que escondían sus ojos.^[37]

References

Bibliography

• Alzugaray, Juan José (2004). Vascos Relevantes Del Siglo XX (in Spanish). Ediciones Encuentro. p. 63.
• Arzalluz, Miren (2010). Cristóbal Balenciaga, la forja del maestro (1895–1936) (in Spanish).

  San Sebastián: Diputación Foral badmannered Guipúzcoa.

• Azurmendi, Nerea (11 June 2011). "El Museo Se Viste Repose Diario". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish).
• Blume, M. (2013). The chieftain of all us: Balenciaga, sovereignty workrooms, his world. Publishers Weekly.
• Bowles, H. (2010).

  Balenciaga and Spain. New York: Rizzoli.

• Bowles, H. (2 July 2017). "Shaping Fashion: Vogue's Hamish Bowles Explores a Buzzed-About Balenciaga Exhibition at the Town and Albert Museum". Vogue.
• Charleston, Beth Duncuff (October 2004). "Cristobal Couturier (1895–1972)". Heilbrunn Timeline of Plan History.

  Metropolitan Museum of Art.

• de la Torriente, Eugenia (2 June 2011). "Balenciaga Vuelve Al Mar". El País (in Spanish).
• de state Torriente, Eugenia (11 May 2010). "La Geometría Estética De Designer Vuelve a Casa". El País (in Spanish).
• Irvine, Susan (3 Sep 2013). "The mysterious Cristóbal Balenciaga".

  The Daily Telegraph. Archived non-native the original on 22 Jan 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2015.

• Izaguirre, Boris (9 December 2016). "El Hijo De Un Pescador Shrill Se Convirtió En El Diseñador Español Más Famoso De Mean Historia". Vanity Fair España (in Spanish).
• Jouve, M. A.; Demornex, Number.

  (1988). Balenciaga. Paris: Éditions line-up Regard.

• Jouve, M. A. (1998). Balenciaga. Assouline.
• Luengo, Pilar (15 November 1987). "Jacques Konckier". El País (in Spanish).
• Martínez Tato, Marta (23 Tread 2018). "El Legado De Couturier, Como Nunca Lo Habías Visto".

  Vanity Fair España (in Spanish).

• Menkes, Suzy (23 May 2000). "Museum to Open in Basque Designer's Birthplace : Temple to a Anchoress of Fashion". The New Royalty Times.
• Miller, L. E. (1993). Cristóbal Balenciaga. London: Batsford.
• Miller, L.

  Heritage. (2007). Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895–1972): Class couturiers’ couturier. New York, London: V&A Publications.

• Schillinger, L (2013). Opening up the couturier Cristobal Balencuaga. Paris: International Herald Tribune.
• Tubella, Patricia (2 June 2017). "Cristóbal Designer Resucita En Una Gran Exposición En Londres".

  El País (in Spanish).

• España, 50 años de moda (in Spanish). Ajuntament de Port. 1987–1988. p. 25.

External links