Versace dresses for Lady Di and Elton John, for the first time in Spain at the Unicaja Foundation Cultural Center in Malaga

An absolute milestone and myth of fashion, Gianni Versace not only created a brand, but a style of living and dressing both 'prêt-à-porter' and haute couture that straddled the line between popular culture and art, the practical and the revolutionary. He was responsible for establishing the world of textile design in Milan and the era of supermodels who broke boundaries without stepping off the runway. The designer and creator was sought after by millions of clients, including Diana, Princess of Wales, and Elton John, whom he dressed and befriended personally. Notably, his suits for Lady Di and the 'Rocket Man' singer will be two of the pieces displayed for the first time in Spain at the unprecedented exhibition 'Gianni Versace. Retrospective', which will open to the public on February 7th at the Centro Cultural Fundación Unicaja.

"The exhibition will be a journey through his life, challenges, many successes, and experiences that had a dramatic ending, so each room will try to convey the emotion of his life and work," Karl Von der Ahé, the curator of the exhibition, announced this Tuesday. He presented this exhibition that will showcase over 500 original pieces including dresses, accessories, unpublished photographs, fabrics, drawings, prototypes, and prints from different periods of the designer. Through nine rooms, the journey will illustrate the Italian's impact on the fashion world and unveil the revolutionary creation of a pioneer who drew from the classical world he grew up in in Reggio Calabria, but also synthesized in his catalog the Baroque influence and contemporary trends like pop art, punk, or bondage.

"As Richard Martin—a scholar of his patterns—used to say, Gianni Versace went beyond fashion and defined himself as a spectator of the world. He said: 'I live like Marco Polo, traveling, and I am a mirror of the world,'" explained the German curator who met a collector of the Italian designer’s dresses eight years ago, whose collections form the base of this exhibition. A mysterious character whose name he did not disclose, but who "always dresses in black," whose treasures join the original pieces from ten other lenders from Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy, "clients who were always in the front row at his shows," that will display together that mix of Mediterranean sensuality and Hollywood glamour that positioned the designer as a design icon.

Of the hundreds of garments and objects in this exhibition, the ones that will most attract fashion enthusiasts will be the 120 'looks' created exclusively by Versace. "All are authentic and none are by Donatella, but all passed through his hands," emphasized Von der Ahé, highlighting the selection of pieces from when the brand was controlled by the designer himself—today it is part of a business and investment group. Thus, the wardrobe displayed in Malaga will showcase iconic attire, such as those made by the Italian for his friends Diana, Princess of Wales, and Elton John, whose closeness with Gianni was seen at the designer’s funeral after his murder in Miami.

They won't be the only ones as his patterns and fabrics for actress Liz Hurley, his collaborations with Madonna, or the legendary design with Andy Warhol's image of Marilyn Monroe, an artist he personally met at Studio 54 nightclub in New York, will also be displayed. Additionally, in the supermodels room—a concept that Versace himself coined—there will be the black bondage collection dress worn by Naomi Campbell and another famous design that Kate Moss popularized on the runways.

The retrospective aspires to be the "definitive exhibition" on Gianni Versace "by the volume of works and the quality of the same," stated Emilia Garrido, the head of Fine Arts at the Fundación Unicaja during the presentation. She also highlighted the recreation in this setup of the designer's house in Miami, at whose doors he was murdered in 1997. Thus, honoring the creator himself, the exhibit is specifically designed for Malaga and, particularly, for the cultural center that hosts it due to its parallelism with the designer’s last residence.

"The first time I visited this building and saw the facade, I thought it was a perfect place for Gianni Versace, an old bishop's palace whose courtyard also reminded me of the interior of his house in Miami Beach that was built with the standards of Andalusian architecture, so we have established a connection between his house and this building," commented the German curator, adding that the relationship between the Florida mansion and the iconic Malaga palace was the starting point from which 'Retrospective' was conceived.

Indeed, in that house by the Atlantic shore, Versace lived surrounded by 'Picassos'—having owned up to 26 works—since the Malaga-born artist was the one he admired most and met when he was 27 years old. Now, his work and designs will be displayed near the birthplace and museum of his favorite painter. Making good on what the designer himself said and was recalled by the curator: "When I am no longer here, you will be able to find me in my work." This holds true for him and for his beloved Picasso.