FIG. 1
2 Dave Hoff, Salvador Dalí, “Surrealist Creates ‘New’ Look In Reverse”, Oakland Tribune, 21/10/1947, Oakland, CA, p. 14. According to Bettina Ballard, Dior’s Paris residence had works by artists including Dalí on display on the red velvet walls above the fireplace. See: Bettina Ballard, In My Fashion, Séguier, Paris, 2016, p. 338.
FIG. 2
FIG. 3
Sketch for Dalí dress, autumn-winter 1949-1950 collection, Milieu du siècle line 1949. Collection Dior Héritage, Paris
Christian Dior. Dalí dress, autumn-winter 1949-1950 collection, Milieu du siècle line. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
fashion. The affinities between Dalí and Dior reveal the influences established between these two creative worlds, that occupy an important space in the work and lives of both artists.
for his creations: in 1938, in one of his contributions as fashion illustrator for Le Figaro newspaper, he included a variety of designs inspired by and named after the painters Goya, Manet, Velázquez, Chardin and Winterhalter [FIG. 1].5 In this new collection, Dior once more dedicates some of his models to diverse mid-century artists, the most prominent, apart from Dalí, being Derain, Matisse, Braque, Picasso and Bérard.6
Christian Dior presents the Dalí model in the autumn-winter 1949-1950 haute couture collection Milieu du siècle [FIG. 2, FIG. 3].3 This collection is based on the models’ inner geometry in a style that sets out to reflect and represent their era4 and modern, mid-century life. It too reflects the artistic baggage Dior had collected in his youth. In fact, it isn’t the first time that the designer has had recourse to art and artists to find titles
3 Programme of the autumn-winter 1949-1950 haute couture collection, Milieu du siècle line. Collection Dior Héritage, Paris. This creation corresponds to number 51 in the collection. An example of the Dalí model is now in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and is the one we reproduce in this catalogue. Link: https://www.metmuseum. org/art/collection/search/83745 [consulted: 07/11/2019]. For detailed information on this creation and the collection it belongs to, see: Richard Martin, Harold Koda, Christian Dior, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1996, p. 43-44 i p. 60-61. Available on line at: https:// www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/ Christian_Dior [consulted: 13/01/2020]. 4 Ibidem.
DALÍ / DIOR. AFFINITIES IN ART AND FASHION
The mutual admiration that Dior and Dalí expressed in their professional and personal careers is reflected in some of their best work. In 1947 Dalí, who had already pronounced on Dior’s new revolution, echoes the fascination the designer feels for his paintings: “Christian Dior is the French designer who is an extraordinary admirer of my canvases.”2 Perhaps that is why in 1949 Dior decides to create a model named after the artist for his new collection, once again showing his admiration for the painter. In turn, Dalí paints a portrait of Berthe David-Weill in 1952 wearing a magnificent Dior creation, demonstrating his sensitivity towards
51
Christian Dior designs published in Le Figaro, 02/06/1938, Paris. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris
The Dalí model presented in the collection programme as a semievening ensemble7 is notable for the two lapels along the bust-line that give volume to the profile and emphasize
5 “Les pages féminines du Figaro”, Le Figaro, year 113, no. 153, 02/06/1938, Paris, p. 2, 6-7. It is interesting to note that in respect of these designs Dior isn’t inspired by contemporary artists like Dalí and the surrealists but by painters from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, which indicates the direction his style will take in 1947 when he returns to the tradition and styles of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. 6 Programme of the autumn-winter 1949-1950 haute couture collection, Milieu du siècle line. Collection Dior Héritage, Paris. Christian Bérard was the close friend of the designer who in 1947 entrusted him with most of the decoration of his Paris first shop at 30, Avenue Montaigne. 7 According to the collection programme, the intention was to emphasize the importance of semi-evening creations that better fit the needs of modern life.