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. The High Museum of Art is 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.
“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.”
About 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.
Thierry-Maxime Loriot Thierry-Maxime Loriot is the curator of Viktor&Rolf.Fashion Statements, which originated at the Kunsthalle München before coming to the High Museum of Art. After working more than ten years in the fashion industry between New York, Milan, London, and Paris, with leading photographers, brands, and magazines, Loriot curated the various renditions of the globally successful touring exhibition The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk. The retrospective travelled to twelve cities and drew more than 2.1 million visitors, making it the most-visited fashion exhibition to this day. Exhibition Organization and Support “Viktor&Rolf. Fashion Statements” is organized by Kunsthalle Munich and curated by ThierryMaxime Loriot in collaboration with Maison Viktor&Rolf.
Lead support is provided by Lauren Amos Fashion Project.
This exhibition is made possible by Premier Exhibition Series Sponsor Delta Air Lines, Inc.; Major Exhibition Series Supporters Sarah and Jim Kennedy; Premier Exhibition Series Supporters Harry Norman Realtors; Benefactor Exhibition Series Supporters Robin and Hilton Howell; Ambassador Exhibition Series Supporter Mrs. Harriet H. Warren; and Contributing Exhibition Series Supporters Farideh and Al Azadi, Mary and Neil Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Baxter Jones, Megan and Garrett Langley, Margot and Danny McCaul, and Wade A. Rakes II and Nicholas Miller. Generous support is also provided by Alfred and Adele Davis Exhibition Endowment Fund, Anne Cox Chambers Exhibition Fund, Barbara Stewart Exhibition Fund, Dorothy Smith Hopkins Exhibition Endowment Fund, Eleanor McDonald Storza Exhibition Endowment Fund, The Fay and Barrett Howell Exhibition Fund, Forward Arts Foundation Exhibition Endowment Fund, Helen S. Lanier Endowment Fund, John H. and Wilhelmina D. Harland Exhibition Endowment Fund, Katherine Murphy Riley Special Exhibition Endowment Fund, Margaretta Taylor Exhibition Fund, RJR Nabisco Exhibition Endowment Fund and USI Insurance Services.
About the High Museum of Art Located in the heart of Atlanta, the High Museum of Art connects with audiences from across the Southeast and around the world through its distinguished collection, dynamic schedule of special exhibitions and engaging community-focused programs. Housed within facilities designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Richard Meier and Renzo Piano, the High features a collection of more than 20,000 works of art, including an extensive anthology of 19th- and 20th-century American fine and decorative arts; major holdings of photography and folk and self-taught work, especially that of artists from the American South; burgeoning collections of modern and contemporary art, including paintings, sculpture, new media and design; a growing collection of African art, with work dating from prehistory through the present; and significant holdings of European paintings and works on paper. The High is dedicated to reflecting the diversity of its communities and offering a variety of exhibitions and educational programs that engage visitors with the world of art, the lives of artists and the creative process.
