Antwerp Art Weekend: Walk-in tour

From Thursday 29 May to Sunday 1 June, you can visit more than 70 locations for the Antwerp Art Weekend. Discover the full programme here. MoMu also opens its doors with a free guided tour. A MoMu guide will take you through the temporary exhibition Fashion & Interiors. A Gendered Affair.

Through various themes, the exhibition explores the relationship between fashion and interiors from a gender perspective. In the second half of the nineteenth century, women played an important role as ‘beautifiers’ of themselves and their homes. With an eye on comfort, they decorated the interior with soft cushions and textures, drapes, handiwork and all manner of knickknacks. Her body, too, was weighed down with multiple layers of fabric and passementerie with the result that she merged with her interior, even almost to the point of disappearing altogether.

This visual mergence was given substance by a number of discerning male creatives, including Henry van de Velde, who started designing women’s clothes. In their pursuit of harmony, they unified architecture, furniture, decor, clothing and accessories to create a total work of art.

Modernist (interior)architects like Adolf Loos, Lilly Reich and Le Corbusier also had their opinions about fashion, which were consistent with their vision of design. They strove for functionality and were opposed to the frivolity of fashion.

Contemporary creations by (among others) Maison Martin Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester, Raf Simons and Hussein Chalayan on display in the exhibition, serve as a cue to reflect on the historical correlation between interior and fashion.