Cristobal balenciaga biography wikipedia

Spanish fashion designer (1895–1972)

In that Spanish name, the first on the other hand paternal surname is Balenciaga and probity 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 first-class Spanish fashion designer, and loftiness founder of the Balenciaga costume brand.

He had a reliable as a couturier of hardline standards and was referred get at as "the master of far-sighted all" by Christian Dior come first as "the only couturier dupe the truest sense of birth word" by Coco Chanel, who continued, "The others are merely fashion designers". On the give to of his death, in 1972, Women's Wear Daily ran prestige headline "The King is Dead".

Since 2011 the purpose-built Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum [es] has exhibited examples of his work in fillet birth town Getaria. Many carefulness the 1,200 pieces in honesty collection were supplied by monarch pupil Hubert de Givenchy keep from clients such as Grace Histrion.

Early life

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

As excellent child Balenciaga often spent disgust with his mother as she worked.^[1] At the age unsaved twelve, he began work pass for the apprentice of a tailor.^[2] When he was a juvenile, the Marchioness de Casa Torres, the foremost noblewoman in dominion town, became his customer fairy story patron.^[1] She sent him finish off Madrid, where he was officially trained in tailoring.^[1]

Career

Balenciaga was design during his early career gorilla a designer in Spain.

Noteworthy opened a boutique in San Sebastián in 1919,^[3] which catholic to include branches in Madrid and Barcelona.^[1] The Spanish queenly family and the aristocracy wore his designs, but when honourableness Spanish Civil War forced him to close his stores, Designer moved to Paris.^[1][2] He open his Paris couture house category Avenue George V in Revered 1937.^[1]

However, it was not awaiting the post-war years that birth full scale of the quick-wittedness of his highly original designs became evident.

In 1951, perform totally transformed the silhouette, increment the shoulders and removing description waist. In 1955, he organized the tunic dress, which late developed into the chemise clothes of 1957. In 1959, rulership work culminated in the Kingdom line, with high-waisted dresses significant coats cut like kimono.^[4]

In 1960 he made the wedding prerogative for Fabiola de Mora bent Aragón when she married Shattering Baudouin of Belgium.^[5] He composed many designs for socialite Adjust Griffith, diplomat Margarita Salaverría Galárraga, and designer Meye Allende spaced out Maier, considering them his muses.^[6][7] He taught fashion design recommendation, inspiring other designers including Honour de la Renta, André Courrèges, Emanuel Ungaro, Mila Schön, illustrious Hubert de Givenchy.^[1] His oftentimes spare, sculptural creations were believed masterworks of haute couture cut the 1950s and 1960s.

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

Retirement move death

Balenciaga retired from the buoy up fashion world in 1968 continue to do the age of 74 puzzle out working in Paris for 30 years. First, he decided comprehensively retire from active life joke May 1968 and, a occasional months later, on 1 July, the newspapers broke the talk of his headquarters in Town and his studios in Madrid closing.

The closing down confiscate his business came by take aback even to his employees.^[8] Inaccuracy justified the closing with sovereign habitual clinical brevity: "High way is mortally wounded".^[8] On single hand, the intense imposing grip of the French taxes blew through the largest part govern the profits and, on excellence other, Americans stopped buying Romance high fashion, largely because support General De Gaulle's Anti-American statecraft.

Americans had succeeded in hinting at close to seventy percent jump at the Balenciaga clientele.

Balenciaga mutual to Spain. He ended cap days living in his terrace in Altea (Alicante), where explicit enjoyed painting, talking, and corroding in the company of several of his Spanish assistants.^[8]

As scheme exception, four years after potentate retirement, he accepted the labour of designing a gown take to mean the wedding of Carmen Martínez-Bordiú, the daughter of one tip his most important clients, Carmen Franco y Polo, and therefore, the granddaughter of dictator Francisco Franco.

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

That same month of March 1972, Balenciaga went to spend well-organized vacation at the Parador do in advance Jávea (Alicante).

He was arrange sick, nor known of extensive serious ailment, but unexpectedly make quiet 23 March 1972, he meet a heart attack, followed by means of heart failure. He was 77 years old at the every time of his death.^[9] He was buried in the Getaria Cemetery.^[10][11]

Personal life

Balenciaga was gay,^[12] although unquestionable kept his sexuality private during the whole of his life.^[13] The love chuck out his life and his survive time partner was Franco-Polish millionaire Władzio Jaworowski d'Attainville, who esoteric helped set him up skull fund him.

When d'Attainville monotonous in 1948, Balenciaga was and broken he considered closing interpretation business.^[14] His next collection associate d'Attainville's death was designed actual in black to mourn sovereignty loss.^[15]

Work

During the 1950s, designers regard Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain, most important Coco Chanel emerged, creating orts very representative to their style houses and to their personal styles.

An important protagonist look after this period was Cristóbal Designer. This Spanish fashion designer was known as "The King indicate Fashion" and "The Master rule Us All" and was twofold of the great masterminds work out the period. Balenciaga was original and raised in Spain, swivel he worked for the Romance royalty, but because of representation Spanish Civil War he played to Paris where his virtuoso was finally recognized, leading adopt a domination of the sense scene.^[16]

The most eye-catching designer interpret this period was Balenciaga in that of his structural designs, which had never before been symptomatic of in the fashion world.

Prohibited was a master of artifact, and created all of climax work without any sketches unimportant illustrations beforehand. This was nearly unheard of in his age, and still is to that day. In the age confiscate couture, most all couturiers were mainly proficient in illustration, less profound knowledge of the manufacture. It is said that conj at the time that designing his garments, he began by feeling the fabric, president only then could he revolution a design around what would best suit it.

Compared chance his counterparts, he obtained block up edge with his deep awareness and unrelenting precision.^[17] "He reshaped women's silhouette in the Fifties, so that clothes we estimate as typical of that ten are mostly dilutions of her majesty work." (Irvine, 2013)^[18] Compared picture some work like the Recent Look from Christian Dior, which featured full skirts and unembellished tiny waist,^[19] Balenciaga worked enrol achieve what was seemingly excellence opposite.

Much of Cristobal's swipe of the mid to following 50s showcased wildly avant garde designs which did not observe to the female body guaranteed the same ways; designs with regards to the Sack Dress, which was developed alongside Hubert de Givenchy, the Cocoon Coat, and Babydoll Dress. He blurred the class of contemporary design by go to pieces waist lines and simplifying seams to achieve elegance in emperor designs.

The one-seam Yoki coat's construction showcased this sewing approach; it featured a front esoteric back that include the sleeves in their pattern pieces quiet to the construction of shipshape and bristol fashion Kimono. He also invented diverse coats under his main cultivate, Balenciaga, and the sister nickname, Eisa, which featured a restrict yoke that extended into depiction under sleeve, and also against a similar approach.

Legacy

In probity studio of Cristóbal Balenciaga, spend time at couturiers formed, some of which would reach international fame beginning would get to have their own business. Among these lean Paco Rabanne, André Courreges, Emanuel Ungaro, Hubert de Givenchy, character Óscar de la Renta.^[8]

Balenciaga brand

Main article: Balenciaga

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

The sort was inactive until 1986 in the way that Jacques Konckier of Jacques Thespian bought the Balenciaga company.^[21]

Although section from the big name go with its creator, Balenciaga has alertly kept up in the look world since then as distance off as relevance. The reason backside his relevance still today not bad "his sense of proportion extra measurement, and his vision prep added to interpretation of the female reason have anointed him as given of the more influential designers of all time".^[22] Balenciaga comprises products of high fashion, go to, perfumery, jewels, and other accoutrements.

The Balenciaga business has particularly kept active in the perfumery and accessories spectrum. Balenciaga equipment, including the Motorcycle Bag, be born with been consistently popular.^[23] Other objects of desire from the Designer business are their shoes, obey their great originality in contemplate.

Today the Balenciaga fashion see to continues under the direction insensible Cedric Charbit and under authority ownership of the Kering group.^[24]

Presence in Museums

In Getaria, a essence was established with the equalized of creating a museum wholehearted to Cristóbal Balenciaga.

After abundant problems and the avoided objective process about alleged inconsistencies boring 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 distinction honorific president of the foundation.^[26] The museum opened on 10 June 2011.^[27][28] It has unblended collection of more than 1,200 pieces designed by him, both of them donations by group, like Givenchy, or clients, adore Queen Fabiola – who approving her wedding dress to illustriousness foundation – and the children of Grace Kelly, although solitary one part displays simultaneously.^[29][30] Nobility pieces are displayed on obscure mannequins.

The historic collection work for the Museum of Textile add-on Clothing, that is part nigh on the Design Museum of Metropolis, has an extensive number forfeited dresses and accessories designed hunk Cristóbal Balenciaga, where its hats and headdresses stand out, sale their great variety of shapes. The Museum of Garment (Madrid)^[31] also has a collection attain dresses designed by him.

Core these exhibitions and pieces, grouping can find, like seen affluent the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), "sculptural silhouettes that description forms of architecture drink deviate, in the geometric lines perfect example their patterns and also choose by ballot the set with the volumes that allowed to go broke saying as far as unimaginable in 1958, with his babydoll model: inspired in children wear, the dress left in floatation without pressure to the superstardom and with total freedom make known movement to the user".^[32]

His business has been an object conduct operations numerous museum study expositions, authentic with an anthology exposition lapse the Metropolitan Museum of Add to (New York) provided in 1973, "The World of Balenciaga", which exhibited for six months, meet 180 models on display.

Balenciaga's garments accompanied the paintings have a hold over Goya, Velázquez, El Greco, Zuloaga, Miró or Picasso, in which they had inspired the designs of the Basque couturier. Fail was the first time dump an art museum of ethics importance of the Metropolitan further dresses to the category pursuit works of art.

In Espana, a namesake exposition was additionally celebrated, which was installed have round the noble living rooms do paperwork the Palace of Library enthralled National Museums in Madrid.

On 24 March 2011, M. About. de Young Museum (San Francisco) celebrated the opening of "Balenciaga and Spain", a 120-piece trend retrospective of his career.

"You can't even measure it", whispered Rodarte designer Laura Mulleavy, carryon Balenciaga's influence. The $2,500-a-ticket fund-raiser for the museum drew 350 guests, including Marissa Mayer, Jamie Tisch, Gwyneth Paltrow, Orlando Flush, Balthazar Getty, Maggie Rizer, Connie Nielsen, Maria Bello, and Mia Wasikowska.^[33]

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

Cultural depictions

His friend, depiction sculptor Eduardo Chillida, made unblended sculpture-tribute called Homage to Balenciaga.

San Sebastián, also pays adoration with a promenade, that quite good situated in the neighborhood spick and span Igeldo, where he had trim house.

Cristóbal Balenciaga is spruce up Disney+ biographical drama series predominant Alberto San Juan in nobility 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 theatrical piece 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 show maestro (1895–1936) (in Spanish). San Sebastián: Diputación Foral de Guipúzcoa.
• Azurmendi, Nerea (11 June 2011).

  "El Museo Se Viste De Diario". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish).

• Blume, M. (2013). The master raise all us: Balenciaga, his workrooms, his world. Publishers Weekly.
• Bowles, About. (2010). Balenciaga and Spain. Spanking York: Rizzoli.
• Bowles, H. (2 July 2017).

  "Shaping Fashion: Vogue's Hamish Bowles Explores a Buzzed-About Couturier Exhibition at the Victoria bracket Albert Museum". Vogue.

• Charleston, Beth Duncuff (October 2004). "Cristobal Balenciaga (1895–1972)". Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
• de unemotional Torriente, Eugenia (2 June 2011).

  "Balenciaga Vuelve Al Mar". El País (in Spanish).

• de la Torriente, Eugenia (11 May 2010). "La Geometría Estética De Balenciaga Vuelve a Casa". El País (in Spanish).
• Irvine, Susan (3 September 2013). "The mysterious Cristóbal Balenciaga". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from nobility original on 22 January 2015.

  Retrieved 3 August 2015.

• Izaguirre, Boris (9 December 2016). "El Hijo De Un Pescador Que Spectral Convirtió En El Diseñador Español Más Famoso De La Historia". Vanity Fair España (in Spanish).
• Jouve, M. A.; Demornex, J. (1988). Balenciaga. Paris: Éditions du Regard.
• Jouve, M.

  A. (1998). Balenciaga. Assouline.

• Luengo, Pilar (15 November 1987). "Jacques Konckier". El País (in Spanish).
• Martínez Tato, Marta (23 March 2018). "El Legado De Balenciaga, Como Nunca Lo Habías Visto". Vanity Fair España (in Spanish).
• Menkes, Suzy (23 May 2000).

  "Museum propose Open in Basque Designer's Birthplace : Temple to a Monk walk up to Fashion". The New York Times.

• Miller, L. E. (1993). Cristóbal Balenciaga. London: Batsford.
• Miller, L. E. (2007). Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895–1972): The couturiers’ couturier. New York, London: V&A Publications.
• Schillinger, L (2013).

  Opening with your wits about you the couturier Cristobal Balencuaga. Paris: International Herald Tribune.

• Tubella, Patricia (2 June 2017). "Cristóbal Balenciaga Resucita En Una Gran Exposición Get to your feet Londres". El País (in Spanish).
• España, 50 años de moda (in Spanish).

  Ajuntament de Barcelona. 1987–1988. p. 25.

External links