Fashion Meets Masterpieces

To mark its 10th anniversary, the Berlin Salon features an exclusive group exhibition of young, up-and-coming designers at the Gemäldegalerie (Old Masters’ Paintings). The exhibition has been curated in collaboration with the Gemäldegalerie under the direction of Christiane Arp, CEO of the Fashion Council Germany. It is among the highlights of Berlin Fashion Week.

The presentation introduces a wide variety of designs by 55 designers whose works are setting new trends in fashion. The Berlin Salon, which takes place annually during Berlin Fashion Week, is a renowned platform for promoting emerging talent in the fashion industry. It offers young designers the opportunity to present their collections to an international audience. Current trends in German fashion design are exhibited together with high-quality accessories by selected manufacturers.

Setting the Scene in the Past and Present

Cranach, Titian, van Dyck, Reynolds – Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie has one of the world’s most important collections of Old Masters, with its outstanding holdings also opening up an extraordinarily opulent fashion panorama. The clothing and accessories depicted in the paintings reflect the power, identity and individuality of the sitters ‒ themes that could hardly be more topical.

The dialogue between the current designs and the Old Masters reveals numerous connections between the present and the past: fashion and art revolve similarly around representation, self-expression, sexuality and gender roles. This group exhibition highlights the close links between painting and fashion while also showcasing the contemporary designers’ exploration of issues that already played an important role in painting throughout past centuries.

A special exhibition of the Gemäldegalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin in cooperation with Nowadays, a “Creative City Berlin” agency, and Museum&Location