Exhibitions / Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto
Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto
Power Station of Art Museum, Shanghai
12 July – 24 November 2024
Bringing together more than 200 garments, accessories, photographs and archival documents, Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto was the first major retrospective devoted to Gabrielle Chanel in China. Roger Schall’s portrait of the couturière was chosen as the exhibition’s key visual, giving the photograph a central role in shaping the retrospective’s public identity and reaffirming its enduring place in the representation of Chanel.
Presented at the Power Station of Art in Shanghai, Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto traced the evolution of Gabrielle Chanel’s work and her lasting influence on modern fashion. Developed in collaboration with the Palais Galliera and CHANEL, the exhibition brought together more than 200 garments, accessories, photographs and archival documents exploring the principles that defined her style.
Chosen to embody the retrospective, Schall’s portrait assumed an emblematic role within the exhibition. More than an identifying image, it shaped the institutional representation of Chanel presented to the public, conveying the authority, modernity and singular presence of the couturière through the directness of Schall’s photographic language.
For Roger Schall, this prominent use of his work represented an important international recognition. By placing his portrait at the forefront of a major museum exhibition, Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto reaffirmed both the historical resonance of the image and Schall’s contribution to the visual legacy of one of the most influential figures in modern fashion.