Review 2025/26 Season

Our last talk of 2024 was very well attended.

Balenciaga, Dior & Faith. Haute Couture’s Holy Trinity

The illustrated talk framed haute couture—literally “high sewing”—as the pinnacle of Parisian craft: meticulous dressmaking, expert tailoring, and the ritual of two annual couture collections. It took place on Wednesday 18 February at the Garrison Library and was well attended, reflecting strong local interest in fashion history. Against a backdrop of post-war social change, when women’s working lives reshaped fashion away from pure extravagance, the talk explored three sharply contrasting designers whose visions defined mid-20th-century couture: Christian Dior, Jacques Fath, and Cristóbal Balenciaga.
 
Dior was presented as the great showman of renewal. His 1947 debut caused a sensation, using unprecedented quantities of fabric at a moment of post-war scarcity. The “New Look” revived luxury and romance, celebrating an hourglass silhouette that reasserted glamour in austere times. Dior’s genius lay not only in design but in branding: named lines (H, inverted Y, even Z) created a language of fashion that fuelled publicity and sales. Iconic pieces such as the Miss Dior dress and Princess Margaret’s gown showed how couture could shape international taste.
 
By contrast, Jacques Fath embodied flamboyant modernity. Extraverted, socially magnetic and endlessly inventive, he turned couture into performance. With no benefactor, Fath built a vast atelier and mastered publicity through parties, Vogue covers, and celebrity clients. His late-1940s asymmetry, two-piece illusions, and bold material mixes—tweed with satin, fur with embroidery—spoke to women hungry for confidence and femininity after wartime restraint.
 
 
Cristóbal Balenciaga stood apart as the quiet technician. Reserved and exacting, he ran a disciplined, near-silent atelier and privileged structure over spectacle. His tailoring produced sculptural forms: looser silhouettes that countered Dior’s hourglass, three-quarter sleeves to frame jewellery, heavy architectural fabrics, ballooning volumes, and the radical Envelope silhouette of 1967. Where Dior sold dreams and Fath sold personality, Balenciaga sold mastery—timeless, rigorous, and profoundly modern.
 
The talk was sponsored by Church & Co.. The next illustrated talk, “James McNeill Whistler and the Gentle Art of Making Enemies”, takes place on 18 March, promising another lively dive into art and personality.

The Glittering Canvas: Jewellery in Portraits 1750–1850

Despite a very wet evening, last night’s illustrated talk by The Arts Society Gibraltar was exceptionally well attended, a testament to the appeal of Claire’s subject and her engaging delivery. *The Glittering Canvas: Jewellery in Portraits 1750–1850* explored how jewellery depicted in portraits offers a rich visual record of wealth, sentiment, fashion and social history during a transformative period in Europe.

 
Claire began by reminding us that portraits were often commissioned for royal or personal legacy, particularly as many original jewels were later melted down or altered. As a result, portraits sometimes provide the only surviving evidence of extraordinary pieces. Jewellery, like architecture, reflected the dominant styles of the age, from Rococo exuberance to Neo-Classical restraint.
 
Highlights included Queen Charlotte’s magnificent diamond stomacher of 1761—valued at £61,000 at the time—now lost, though some stones were later reused in royal crowns. We also saw portraits of Maria Luisa of Parma, first as a 14-year-old bride adorned with Brazilian diamonds, and later as a matriarch wearing elaborate hair ornaments alongside her daughters. Russian jewellery featured prominently, including bouquet brooches enhanced by coloured foil, some of which survived revolution and are now held in international collections, including the V&A.
 
 
Claire illustrated how silver settings enhanced the brilliance of diamonds, how imitation jewellery made from glass and foil widened access to fashion, and how men, too, displayed status through shoe buckles and buttons. Sentimental jewellery—mourning rings, lockets spelling “regard,” and tokens of love—was especially evocative, culminating in Queen Victoria’s orange blossom jewel from Prince Albert.
 
The lecture beautifully demonstrated the exceptional craftsmanship of the period and how portraits preserve these glittering symbols of personal taste, power and affection long after the jewels themselves have vanished.

Women in Art

A well-attended illustrated talk titled Women Masters of Art drew an impressive audience of 73 people, all eager to explore the vibrant history of women artists across the centuries. Sponsored by Ibex Insurance, the evening offered a rich journey from the Renaissance to contemporary art, revealing the creativity and resilience of women who shaped artistic movements around the world.

The talk opened with the Impressionists, highlighting Mary Cassatt, the American painter celebrated for her intimate portrayals of mothers and children, and Berthe Morisot, a founding figure of Impressionism whose delicate yet innovative brushwork helped define the movement. Earlier trailblazers followed, including Sofonisba Anguissola, a Renaissance portraitist linked with Michelangelo, and Artemisia Gentileschi, whose powerful Baroque works—many found in royal collections—stand as testament to her technical mastery. Spanish sculptor Luisa Roldán, known as La Roldana, was also featured for her monumental contributions to the Spanish royal collections.

The 19th century section explored extraordinary artists who defied convention. Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, favoured by Marie Antoinette, shocked society with her boldly smiling self-portrait. Rosa Bonheur, renowned for her dynamic animal paintings, obtained special permission to wear men’s clothing, lived independently with a female partner, and achieved remarkable financial success. The sculptor Camille Claudel, both collaborator and rival to Rodin, was recognised for the emotional force and originality of her work.

Modernism introduced innovators such as Natalia Goncharova, whose provocative art bridged Cubism and Futurism, and Sonia Delaunay, co-founder of Orphism. Surrealism was represented by Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, and Frida Kahlo, each offering deeply imaginative and personal visions. Contemporary voices included Lygia Clark, Eva Hesse, The Guerrilla Girls, Paula Rego, Yayoi Kusama, Shirin Neshat, and Marina Abramović.

The evening concluded with a raffle, won by Michaela Rees.

The next illustrated talk will take place on December 10th, when Peter Ross will present The Curious History of Christmas Food.

Lost Splendors: Unfortunate Events and Extravagant Monarchs

Yesterday evening’s lecture by the ever-charming Andrew Prince, titled “Lost Splendors: Unfortunate Events and Extravagant Monarchs,” was nothing short of enthralling. Held to a packed and attentive audience, the event took attendees on a glittering journey through the fates of some of history’s most opulent treasures and the monarchs who wore them.

One of the most fascinating segments delved into the world of Henry VIII and the remarkable jewels that once adorned his court. We learned not only about his voracious appetite for luxury, but also about the extraordinary amounts of gold and gemstones that were systematically stripped from England’s churches during the Reformation. 

It was particularly captivating to discover how these historic gems have passed through the hands of various rulers and collectors, often being transformed from necklaces to brooches, crowns to rings. Mr. Prince highlighted the intriguing detective work involved in tracing these jewels through time, especially through the close study of historical paintings. 

As always, Andrew Prince’s delivery was flawless, engaging, informative, and sprinkled with his trademark wit. His passion for historical jewels, combined with his deep knowledge and theatrical flair, held the audience spellbound from start to finish. It is rare to find a speaker so adept at turning history into a vivid, living story.

Just as the evening reached its sparkling crescendo, Mr. Prince left us all on the edge of our seats with a tantalizing teaser: the topic of his next possible lecture, Russian jewels. We eagerly await his next glittering chapter.