The Kunstmuseum Zürich has opened a major new exhibition titled “Fashion Drive: Extreme Clothing in the Visual Arts.” Running through July 15, the show presents 200 works that examine fashion between the late 18th century and the early 20th century, tracing how clothing signaled social rank, individual identity and deliberate provocation.
© Kunsthaus Zürich
The selection spans painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, photography and video art, featuring about 50 artists. Works by Sylvie Fleury sit alongside pieces by Gustav Klimt, Leigh Bowery, Albrecht Dürer, Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol and the collaborative projects of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, offering a wide-ranging look at the ways extreme dress has been depicted and used as cultural commentary.
The exhibition explores several themes: fashion as a marker of class and status; clothing as a means of personal and artistic expression; and the deliberate use of shocking or exaggerated garments to challenge norms. By juxtaposing historic and contemporary works, the curators highlight recurring patterns in how societies interpret appearance and the body, as well as shifts in materials, techniques and media.
Display formats vary from intimate drawings and portraits to large-scale installations and film, inviting visitors to consider both the aesthetics and the social meanings of dress. The show also foregrounds the role of designers, models and subcultural figures who pushed boundaries—demonstrating how visual art and fashion influence one another.
To help plan a visit, the museum provides practical information and a route planner on its website so guests can get there easily and make the most of their time. After the exhibition, visitors can relax in the Kunstmuseum’s café and enjoy a glass of wine or a pastry while reflecting on the ideas on display.
This exhibition offers a compact but compelling survey of extreme clothing in the visual arts, appealing to anyone interested in fashion history, visual culture and the relationship between dress and identity.