From the 1959 debut of the ‘La Fiesta’ dress to the present day, Valentino red now comes to life once again in the Horizons | Red exhibition, featuring more than 50 iconic designs and contemporary artworks.
A few months ago, Valentino began a new chapter at its historic heart—Piazza Mignanelli in Rome. The Fondazione Valentino Garavani e Giancarlo Giammetti inaugurated PM23, a cultural center dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and sharing the maison’s legacy of beauty. Located beside Valentino’s original atelier and just steps away from the Spanish Steps, this permanent space opened its doors with the debut exhibition, Horizons | Red—a vibrant homage to the color that defined the house’s identity.
For Valentino Garavani, red was never merely a color. From the fiery “La Fiesta” dress at his first fashion show in 1959 to his emotional farewell in 2008, red became his language, his essence, and ultimately, his destiny. Over the years, this distinctive shade became so intertwined with his creative identity that Pantone officially named it “Valentino Red.” Sixty-six years later, this iconic color returns to the spotlight, mere meters from where it first began its journey into legend.
Dialogue Between Fashion and Art
Curated by fashion historian Pamela Golbin, with art selections by Anna Coliva, the exhibition unites 80 masterpieces—50 emblematic red dresses from Valentino’s archives and 30 contemporary artworks. Displayed together for the first time in Rome, these works form an elegant bridge between the worlds of couture and fine art, revealing their shared pursuit of form, emotion, and timeless beauty.
