An art installation is running at the Balenciaga flagship on Via Montenapoleone in Milan through April 26th. The timing coincides with Salone del Mobile, the city’s big design week. The exhibition marks the first Balenciaga project involving a major artist that was initiated by Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli.
The series is called Artean. The word comes from the Basque language and means “between.” It echoes Latin-rooted words related to art, but the literal meaning is an interval, a space that connects multiple concepts.
For this first edition, seven works by the Basque artist Eduardo Chillida (1924–2002) are placed among the store’s current collections. Some of these pieces pay direct homage to Cristóbal Balenciaga, the founder of the house. The exhibition continues a dialogue that started decades ago.
Piccioli said he has always believed that art is a generator of emotion. A vehicle for culture, certainly, but more importantly a source of energy, thought, and curiosity. He called the decision to feature Chillida deeply personal and sentimental. The installation creates a space that brings together art and the house’s Basque heritage. Piccioli said Chillida’s work serves as a tangible memory of Cristóbal’s admiration for the artist, representing an open dialogue that has never stopped.
Chillida first learned about Balenciaga from his grandmother, Juana Eguren Jáuregui. She ran a hotel in San Sebastián, where the first Balenciaga store opened. Both the sculptor and the couturier later moved to Paris, encouraged by Jáuregui. That was when they met in person. By then, each had become a leader in his field. They shared their Basque backgrounds and certain formal ideas, like the play between constructed volume and negative space. For Balenciaga, volume comes before the body. For Chillida, volume reveals space itself.
Several of Chillida’s works are dedicated to the couturier. These include a large iron sculpture called Homenaje a Balenciaga from 1990. A smaller study of that piece is now displayed at the Milan store. Other iron works in the exhibition are Proyecto Peine del Viento I from 1966 and Lotura XVIII from 1991. Chillida also worked with cut paper, ink, and string. Those pieces are represented in the store with Untitled from 1957, Gravitación. Homenaje a Balenciaga from 1987, and two additional works both titled Gravitación from 1991.
An opening event took place on April 21st. Mikel Chillida, the artist’s grandson and director of Chillida-Leku, the open-air museum dedicated to his legacy, attended. The event included traditional Basque wine and food prepared by chef Magrí Alberto. The installation remains on view through April 26th. More information about each artwork is available inside the store.
