History & culture

The Cleveland Museum of Art Presents: Renaissance to Runway: The Enduring Italian Houses

Gallery view of Renaissance to Runway: The Enduring Italian Houses. Photo by Shelly Duncan, courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art Gallery view of Renaissance to Runway: The Enduring Italian Houses. Photo by Shelly Duncan, courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Al Museo d’Arte di Cleveland, c’è una mostra chiamata “Renaissance to Runway”. La mostra spiega come il Rinascimento e l’epoca Barocca abbiano influenzato la moda. Mostra anche come la storia e la moda siano sempre legate. La esposizione ha più di ottanta artefatti di diciotto case di moda e più di quaranta accessori, tutti collegati alla storia del passato. La mostra rimarrà aperta fino al 1º febbraio 2026.

“Fashion as a medium undeniably addresses ideas that transcend time from the past into the present. Through the majestic creations of more than 100 modern and contemporary Italian fashions and accessories in dialogue with Italian fine, decorative, and textile arts from the 1400s to the early 1600s, Renaissance to Runway: The Enduring Italian Houses examines the art historical inspirations that fuel recent creative Italian lexicon, expanding fantasies of the Renaissance, Mannerist, and early Baroque periods.

More than 500 years ago, families, or “houses,” who ruled the states across the Italian peninsula, such as the Medici of Florence and the Sforza of Milan, used fashion as a form of power and influence, from dictating fashionable styles that were immortalized through painted portraits to controlling textile production as a form of currency. Conversely, since the turn of the 1900s, rising Italian fashion companies, also called “houses,” have been founded by prolific individuals and families who dominate global style with unmatched design craftsmanship, quality fabrics, and enthralling aesthetics. From Versace and Valentino to Ferragamo and Capucci, these houses have interpreted Italian early modern–period aesthetics to develop fresh perspectives throughout the fashion landscape.

The entrance to the exhibition showcases an immersive video experience that connects the Italian Renaissance and early modern artworks, several of which are a part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection and represented throughout the exhibition, with contemporary Italian fashion. Using AI and emerging technology, rare archival garments—too delicate to wear—are brought back to life. Artists have used AI to show how these garments once moved and flowed when worn. By mixing the past with the present, this video celebrates history while showing how style and creativity change over time and continue to inspire us.  

This exhibition illustrates how fashion, in all of its change, is a continuous thread that uncovers history’s complexities as it materializes contemporary beauty.” 
– The Cleveland Museum of Art

La Gazzetta Italiana’s Publisher, Angela Ianiro, and Editor, Jennifer Spitalieri, recently visited the exhibit. The awe-inspiring pieces in collaboration with famous works of art perfectly molded the Renaissance period and today’s runways. Angela and Jennifer began their visit with a presentation of “Renaissance to Runway” by Darnell-Jamal Lisby, Associate Curator of Fashion at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Lisby’s vision was to “create a level of escapism” for patrons viewing the exhibit. And that he did. It was easy to walk the halls amongst over 80 fashions from 18 fashion houses and 40-plus accessories all partnered with a piece of Renaissance culture, whether that be a painting, sculpture, fabric, or relic, and be transported to a time of great influence and beauty.

The exhibit is the perfect tribute to devotional glamour – blending spiritual inspiration with beauty. “The Annunciation,” a painting by Paolo Veronese (1528-1588) displayed alongside “Evening Dress with Wings,” a spring 2024 fashion by Nicola Brognana is just one example of how the exhibit shows the influence of Catholicism on fashion.

Entering the exhibit, patrons will be greeted by a wall-size screen with an AI depiction of how the exhibit’s high-end fashion pieces would have looked during the Renaissance period. This immersive blend of the past and present draws you in immediately.

The blend of contemporary fashion with historic artworks and technology allows this exhibit to reach a demographic of fashion, art and tech enthusiasts of all ages. This exhibit is a must-see.

“Renaissance to Runway: The Enduring Italian Houses” is open until Sunday, February 1, 2026.

View the embedded image gallery online at:
https://www.lagazzettaitaliana.com/history-culture/10751-the-cleveland-museum-of-art-presents-renaissance-to-runway-the-enduring-italian-houses#sigProId87bd8e7e97

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