Dior Talks

Welcome to this episode of Dior Talks. This podcast series will explore the connections between Creative Director of Women’s collections Maria Grazia Chiuri and contemporary women artists and curators. 

In this episode, Katy Hessel, a writer, curator and art historian, speaks with Judy Chicago, the American first-generation feminist artist, educator and writer. Her collaboration with Maria Grazia Chiuri on the Dior Spring-Summer 2020 haute couture show resulted in both the realization of a large-scale work planned since the 1970s and the creation of new work in the process.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1939, to a mother who fostered a love of art in her children, a young Judy (she would choose the surname Chicago in 1970) took classes at the Art Institute of Chicago before attending UCLA. 

One of only a small number of women to gain a level of recognition in the 1960s L.A. art scene, her work would evolve from resembling that of her contemporaries to acting as a uniquely powerful mirror of her feminist beliefs. To further this, she founded the first feminist art program in the US, encouraging her students to find their identity as women artists. 

Her work embraces techniques ranging from fiberglass sculpture and pyrotechnics to embroidery and the use of auto spray painting, from wall pieces to huge installations.

Having overcome what amounted to a decades-long stream of institutional misogyny from the male-dominated art world – most noticeably following the creation of her landmark and rightfully iconic feminist artwork ‘The Dinner Party’, now on permanent display at the Brooklyn Museum – she has seen her extensive catalogue of work rediscovered and reappraised in recent years, as the world has finally caught up with its pioneering importance. 

Discover a selection of works:

The Dinner Party, 1974-1979

https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/dinner_party

Fireworks, 1968-1974

https://www.judychicago.com/gallery/atmospheresfireworks/artwork/

Flesh Garden series, 1971

https://blogs.getty.edu/pacificstandardtime/explore-the-era/worksofart/big-blue-pink-from-the-flesh-gardens-series/

Pasadena Life Savers, 1970

https://nmwa.org/works/pasadena-lifesavers-red-5

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Welcome to this first episode of Dior Talks. This podcast series will explore the connections between Creative Director of Women’s collections Maria Grazia Chiuri and contemporary women artists and curators. 

This opening episode is devoted to Maria Grazia Chiuri herself. She is recorded on a leisurely stroll through the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris and later in her Dior office, in conversation with writer, curator, art historian – and series host – Katy Hessel. 

Maria Grazia Chiuri was born in Rome, Italy, in 1964, into a progressive family that instilled in her the understanding that she could accomplish anything to which she set her mind. Her mother ran a dressmaking atelier, so from an early age she was exposed to fashion and the entrepreneurial spirit of women. This would be amplified through the encouragement of the five Fendi sisters, for whom she worked as a designer for nine years. 17 years at Valentino followed, the last few spent as joint creative director, before she joined Christian Dior in 2016 as Creative Director of the Women’s collections. 

Having grown up in an era of widespread feminist activism in Italy, at Dior she has given free rein to her passion for feminist theory, especially in its overlap with art. Regarding t-shirts as incomparable communication platforms, from the first look of her first show they have broadcast messages that have disrupted the fashion system and introduced a new generation to a broad range of feminist thinkers and doers. 

Her collections have been inspired by female artists such as Niki de Saint Phalle and Georgia O’Keeffe, and she has collaborated directly with others, such as Penny Slinger, Tomaso Binga and Judy Chicago. In a touching and intimate tribute, she cites her own daughter as her feminist hero. 

Discover a selection of works:

Dior Autumn-Winter 2020-2021 show scenography, by Claire Fontaine: https://www.dior.com/en_int/womens-fashion/ready-to-wear-shows/autumn-winter-2020-2021-ready-to-wear-show 

Dior Spring-Summer 2020 Haute Couture show scenography, by Judy Chicago: https://www.dior.com/en_int/womens-fashion/haute-couture-shows/spring-summer-2020-haute-couture-show 

Dior Autumn-Winter 2019-2020 show scenography, by Tomaso Binga: https://www.dior.com/diormag/en_int/article/30399 

Giardino dei Tarocchi: http://www.giardinodeitarocchi.it 

Le Cyclop by Jean Tinguely: https://www.lecyclop.com 

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