Dolce & Gabbana, an artistic odyssey at the Grand Palais with From the Heart to the Hand
Paris hosts the exhibition at the Grand Palais From Heart to Hand: Dolce & Gabbana until March 31, 2025. An invitation to immerse oneself in the sumptuous universe of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, celebrating Italian craftsmanship and creativity.
After a triumphant launch at Palace Royal From Milan, the exhibition begins its world tour by setting up in Paris, offering the public a rare glimpse of more than 200 unique creations from the collections. Alta Moda, Alta Sartoria and Alta Gioielleria. This artistic and cultural journey is a love letter dedicated to Italian traditions, a tribute to the beauty and virtuosity of the «fatto a mano», the handmade.
The exhibition traces the multiple inspirations of the creators, drawing on the wealth of Italian artistic heritage: painting, architecture, Byzantine mosaics, and Renaissance frescoes. Each piece bears witness to a meticulous aesthetic search where tailoring blends with architecture. Like an architect sketching a building, the couturiers shape their garments as works of art, combining structure and ornamentation with rare precision.
The sumptuous embroidery evokes the majolicas of Capri, the mosaics of Monreale and the floral volutes of the Saint-Marc Basilica in Venice. The textiles transform into living tableaux, telling the story of Sicilian traditions and their Byzantine, Arab and Norman influences.
Among the recurring motifs in their creations, the Sacred Heart embodies the very essence of art craftsmanship according to Dolce & Gabbana. Whether embroidered or sculpted, it symbolizes love and self-giving. This theme finds a spectacular echo in the dresses and accessories, where the sacred blends with the sensual in an unforgettable baroque theatricality. Visitors will also be amazed by a video installation dedicated to the frescoes of the Farnese Palace in Rome, another major source of iconographic inspiration.
© Andrea Passuello
To pay tribute to the talented hands who bring their creations to life, the exhibition includes workshops where artisans reveal the steps involved in the manufacture of iconic pieces. These demonstrations highlight the importance of ancestral savoir-faire and innovative techniques that the couture house perpetuates and reinvents.
The exhibition also dedicates a section to the singular place of black in the aesthetics of Dolce & Gabbana. Through a selection of black dresses currently in production, the designers celebrate the purity and depth of this emblematic shade, a reflection of the Italian soul and local traditions. Black, worn by Sicilian widows and popularized in neo-realist cinema, becomes a color of modernity and timeless sophistication in their hands.
Inspired by Sicily, their homeland, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana revisit the codes of the past to anchor them in a contemporary vision. The influence of masterpieces such as Temple of the Concorde in Agrigente or the scenes from the film The Cheetah De Luchino Visconti traverses their creations, making each piece a bridge between two eras.
From the Heart to the Hand Celebrate Italian beauty, cultural heritage and craftsmanship. Paris thus offers the ideal setting to host this ode to creative genius, where every visitor can feel the soul and heart of Dolce & Gabbana.
