Balenciaga and Spain (Skira Rizzoli [u.a.], 2011)
"Published by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and Skira Rizzoli Publications, Inc., on the occasion of the exhibition Balenciaga and Spain, on view at the de Young Museum from March 26 through July 4, 2011."
Includes bibliographical references and index -- 'This unprecedented volume accompanies the first exhibition to consider the impact of Spain's culture, history, and art on one of its greatest designers of the twentieth century, the legendary Balenciaga. Hailed as "Fashion's Picasso" by Cecil Beaton, Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972) created an innovative oeuvre that transformed the way women dressed. From the opening of his Paris fashion house in 1937 until his retirement in 1968, Balenciaga's visionary, ever-evolving designs and impeccable standards seduced generations of the most iconic, best-dressed women in the world, including the Duchess of Windsor, Gloria Guinness, Pauline de Rothschild, Mona Bismarck, Princess Grace of Monaco, Doris Duke, Diana Vreeland, and Queen Fabiola of Belgium. For Diana Vreeland, the designer's "inspiration came from the bullrings, the flamenco dancers, the loose blouses the fishermen wear, the cool of the cloisters." Exploring the profound and enduri