ATLANTA, GA.- For more than three decades, Dutch fashion artists Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren have explored the boundaries between haute couture and art with breathtaking virtuosity. The self-confessed fashion world outsiders have garnered critical acclaim for their unconventional designs that reveal technical prowess and a deep knowledge of fashion and history, and their creations have been embraced by artists including Cardi B, Lady Gaga, Madonna and Tilda Swinton. This fall, the High Museum of Art will be the exclusive U.S. venue to present “Viktor&Rolf. Fashion Statements” (Oct. 10, 2025-Feb. 8, 2026), the first major retrospective of their work, organized by curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot and the Kunsthalle Munich in Germany, where it debuted in February 2024.
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“Just like other important fashion exhibitions presented at the High, ‘Fashion Statements,’ featuring the stunning work of Viktor&Rolf, demonstrates how wearable art is among the most provocative and inventive forms of contemporary design,” said the High’s Director Rand Suffolk. “We’re fortunate to be the first museum in the United States to present this exhibition, which we know will be incredibly engaging and a one-of-a-kind experience for our audiences.”
The exhibition will feature more than 100 of Viktor&Rolf’s most daring and avant-garde works, designed for the runway and beyond, that reflect the duo’s passions, obsessions and singular vision. The presentation is divided into eight chapters, each of which focuses on a theme or project cherished by the designers: “Fashion Artists,” “Russian Dolls,” “Fashion Statements,” “The Dolls,” “Zen Garden,” “Performing Fashion,” “Viktor&Rolf on Stage” and “Upcycling Couture.” Included are garments from more than 30 of their collections as well as selections of their “works-in-progress dolls,” inspired by antique porcelain dolls and dressed in miniature versions of the designers’ handmade creations. The works are accompanied by elaborate animated projections designed for the exhibition by the internationally acclaimed visual effects studio Rodeo FX, famous for their works on series including “Stranger Things” and “Game of Thrones” and movies such as “Blade Runner 2049.”
“The singular and enchanted vision of Viktor&Rolf’s work offers a unique dialogue between art and fashion,” said exhibition curator Loriot. “For the first time in the United States, visitors will discover a unique contemporary installation featuring three decades of their avant-garde approach to haute couture, their exquisite and inventive craftmanship and countless unexpected inspiration.”
“At the Kunsthalle Munich, ‘Viktor&Rolf. Fashion Statements’ has met with a resounding success among audiences and critics alike,” said Kunsthalle Munich Director Roger Diederen. “People revelled at the opportunity to study the amazing garments up close. I’m therefore very pleased that the visitors of the High Museum of Art will now also be able to discover the duo’s creative genius.”
Viktor&Rolf/Collections & Projects
Going beyond the pure questions of style or the look of the season, Viktor&Rolf’s work has always focused on fashion but also expressed their contradictory identities, which contrast romance and power, exuberance and control, and classicism and rebellion. Their collections often begin with an abstract idea, and from there, each step of the conceptual and technical development considers the final presentation — the fashion show. Rather than straightforward catwalk presentations, their shows tend to be true performances in which they act as storytellers, directors and often participants.
Early in their careers, they worked with vintage fabrics used by Cristóbal Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent, and later, they referenced not only their formal collections but also their signature motifs, such as bows and ruffles, embroideries and voluminous silhouettes to create unorthodox haute couture with patchworks, braids or woven techniques. Viktor&Rolf are also renowned for juxtaposing seemingly unrelated elements. Their haute couture collection “Fashion Statements” (Spring/Summer 2019) featured short slogans typically used in social media that were elaborately shaped on dresses built from layers of laser-cut tulle. Works from that collection are featured prominently in the exhibition, along with other garments that showcase the visual elements for which they are celebrated.
Their affection for the abstract has resulted in inspiring collaborations beyond the fashion world as well. For example, in 2004, director Robert Wilson approached the designers to create costumes for his dance production “2Lips and Dancers and Space,” presented with the Nederlands Dans Theater, and for his 2009 production of Carl Maria von Weber’s opera “Der Freischütz” (“The Marksman”) at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. Blurring boundaries between artistic disciplines is also a recurrent theme in Viktor&Rolf’s collections. In “Wearable Art” (Autumn/Winter 2016) and “Performance of Sculptures” (Spring/Summer 2016), they created dialogs between garment and painting or garment and sculpture to question the relationship between wearer and clothing. Their designs function as autonomous pieces, independent from the wearer. The exhibition includes exquisite examples from those collections and designs from their dance and theatrical productions.
“We are thrilled that after Munich our work will be presented for the first time in the United States at Atlanta's High Museum, an institution that always showcases groundbreaking artists and innovators,” said Viktor&Rolf. “We have always felt strongly about the way museum shows complement our seasonal catwalk presentations. Exhibitions are more democratic than the runway: they allow more visitors, and they last longer. They can show that certain themes recur over the years and put a spotlight onto the sublime craftmanship that goes into the creation of our pieces. We are looking forward to sharing more than three decades of our work with the American public this fall.”
“Viktor&Rolf. Fashion Statements” will be presented in the Cousins Family Special Exhibition Galleries on the Second Level of the High’s Wieland Pavilion.
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