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The Arts Intel Report

Schiaparelli and Surrealism

Mar 26, 2020 – May 30, 2021

Coco Chanel dismissed Elsa Schiaparelli as “that Italian artist who makes clothes.” Chanel was jealous because “Schiap,” in the 1930s, usurped her as the couturier for smart city women. Collaborating with other artists—Christian Bérard, Salvador Dalí, Jean Cocteau, Vertes, and Van Dongen—Schiaparelli pulled Surrealism into the witty, arty party she’d made of fashion. Here’s a little refresher course on her work and her importance. —L.J.

Elsa Schiaparelli, “Choker,” 1938. Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum, London.