Once treasured by the elites and now readily available to anyone with a mobile phone, portraits are the ultimate space of self-image construction and projection. From the sumptuously draped fabrics in portraits d’apparat to the diversity of contemporary garments, clothing is a key component of portraiture — providing means of distinction, between conformity and the search for singularity. Aside from all those elements that define a period, the codes of portraiture remain impervious to the whims of fashion, like emblems of a status dreamed or asserted with strength.

By confronting paintings and artefacts from the MAH’s catalogue with the fashion history collection of the Alexandre Vassiliev Foundation, ranging from the 15th century to the contemporary period, this exhibition entices visitors to delve into a dizzying world of materials and colours through a large-scale display housed inside the Palatine rooms turned into a Hall of mirrors for the occasion. Instruments of power, seduction and exoticism, clothes and portraits introduce visitors to a vanity fest where the whole range of human aspirations and emotions finds its expression, at times with spectacular or ludicrous grandeur.

Booking for guided tours and events:
https://billetterie.mahmah.ch