Balenciaga

BALENCIAGA ARTEAN – EDUARDO CHILLIDA From April 21 to 26, 2026, in parallel with Milan’s Salone del Mobile, Balenciaga presents a special installation within its Via Montenapoleone flagship, inaugurating a new artistic chapter for the house. Conceived by Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli, the project marks the first time Balenciaga engages a major artist through a dedicated, ongoing platform.  Titled Artean, the series takes its name from the ancient Basque language, where the word signifies “between.” The term suggests a space of connection, an interval where disciplines, ideas, and histories intersect. In this context, Artean becomes both concept and framework, establishing a dialogue between art and fashion while subtly echoing linguistic associations with the word “art” itself. For its inaugural edition, the house turns to the work of Eduardo Chillida, presenting seven pieces by the celebrated artist within the store environment. Some of these works directly reference Cristóbal Balenciaga, founder of the house, extending a conversation that began decades earlier and remains resonant today. Installed among the current collections, the works invite an encounter where sculpture and garment coexist, each informing the perception of the other.   Piccioli frames the project as an exploration of art’s emotional and intellectual capacity. For him, art operates not only as a cultural expression but as a generator of energy, curiosity, and thought. His decision to foreground Chillida’s work in Milan is rooted in a personal connection to the artist’s philosophy, as well as in a desire to reconnect with the Basque heritage that underpins the house. Through this installation, that lineage is made visible, offering visitors a space where memory and modernity converge . The relationship between Chillida and Balenciaga dates back to their shared origins in the Basque region. The sculptor was first introduced to the couturier through his grandmother, Juana Eguren Jáuregui, a hotelier in San Sebastián, the city where Balenciaga opened his first store. It was later in Paris, where both men had relocated, that they met in person. By that time, each had established himself as a leading figure in his respective discipline. Their exchange revealed a mutual sensitivity to form, particularly in their approach to volume and space. For Balenciaga, volume shaped the body, while for Chillida, volume articulated space itself.   BALENCIAGA MILAN FLAGSHIP 23 Via Montenapoleone 20121 Milan Italy Image courtesy of BALENCIAGA