Balenciaga was known for his ability to take historical garments and render them in a highly modern way, with the use of clean lines and pure forms that earned him the epithet of "the architect of fashion.
Throughout his career, Balenciaga took delight in the colors, volumes and forms of the fabrics depicted in the paintings of Velázquez, El Greco, Zurbarán, Goya, Raimundo de Madrazo and Zuloaga, among others. References to Spanish culture were present in his work and continued to be seen even in his most groundbreaking period. Balenciaga and Spanish Painting features a selection of paintings and valuable items of clothing from the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza and other national museums, as well as private collections.
Though it would seem impossible to replicate El Greco's gleaming fabrics in real life, Balenciaga manages