“Les Années folles de Coco Chanel” The Roaring Twenties of Coco Chanel

For the very first time, the exhibition “Les Années folles de Coco Chanel” explores Gabrielle Chanel’s abundant creation in the specific context of the Côte d’Azur in the 1920s. Displaying a selection of textile creations and artworks that are emblematic of the decade, it pays tribute to Chanel’s distinctly visionary approach as she invented the “new woman”— modern, free and independent. Presenting over two hundred objects, the exhibition creates a unique dialogue between thirty models and accessories designed by Gabrielle Chanel and forty works by modern artists, including Kees van Dongen, Pablo Picasso, Marie Laurencin, Natalia Goncharova, Sonia Delaunay, Jean Cocteau, Mikhail Larionov, and Alexandra Exter, as well as numerous photographs by Man Ray, Dora Kallmus, Edward Steichen, and Roger Schall.

Extending this rich dialogue between fashion and art, the artist Chloé Royer (born in 1989) presents Of Limbs and Other Things, a corpus of twenty sculptures, several of which have been specially created for this exhibition, exploring diverse metamorphoses of the female body. Curated by Celia Bernasconi, the exhibition is organized around three main themes: outdoor living and the boom in seaside leisure, the Ballets Russes and the influence of Slavic cultures, and the invention of a “Riviera style.” Deauville In 1910, aged twenty-seven, Gabrielle Chanel opened a hat boutique, Chanel Modes, at 21, rue Cambon in Paris. Her creations, noted for their elegant simplicity, were worn by the most fashionable actresses of the time and were frequently featured in the press. Encouraged by this success, in 1912 she opened the first Gabrielle Chanel boutique in Deauville. Here, she presented women’s sportswear and accessories that were designed for outdoor leisure pursuits. Revolutionizing the style of fashion and liberating the female body, Chanel helped promote the image of her new business by wearing her own creations. On the arm of her lover, British businessman and polo player Arthur “Boy” Capel, Coco Chanel joined the circles of high society while laying the foundations of her future business empire. In Deauville, she was regularly sketched by the caricaturist Sem (Georges Victor Goursat). Kees Van Dongen, a frequent visitor to the seaside resort, was inspired by Chanel’s silhouette and allure. He later confided to the British painter Francis Rose: “I am only able to paint women in Chanel dresses.” (American Vogue, 1 December 1969). Monte-Carlo Gabrielle Chanel opened a second fashion boutique in the luxurious H.tel Hermitage in Monte Carlo in early 1914. The Principality of Monaco was then an exclusive seaside resort, often seen as a paradise for the arts and sport. During the reign of Prince Albert I, the Monte Carlo opera house, directed by Raoul Gunsbourg, became one of the most prestigious operas in Europe. Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes began performing there in 1911 and would return every winter after the Great War ended. Renowned for its golf and tennis clubs, Monaco also provided a spectacular setting for motor sports, as can be seen in Jacques Henri Lartigue’s photographs of motorboat races and seaplane flights in 1912. Monaco was thus seen to be at the cutting edge of modernity.

In the early 1920s, the Principality’s image also revolved around the young Princess Charlotte, daughter of Prince Louis II. For the civil ceremony of her wedding to Count Pierre de Polignac, she wore an outfit by Chanel. Successive portraits show her as a distinctly modern young woman, having completely adopted the Chanel style. For the fourth year running, CHANEL is delighted to support the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco. This year, the museum presents “The Roaring Twenties of Coco Chanel”, an exhibition that celebrates the deep connections between CHANEL and Monaco — a place that inspired and shaped Gabrielle Chanel’s life and work. Drawn to the beauty and relaxed lifestyle of the Riviera from the 1910s, Chanel found in Monaco both a haven and a source of creative energy. It was here that she met influential figures such as Ernest Beaux, Samuel Goldwyn, and the Duke of Westminster, opened one of her first boutiques in 1914, and collaborated with artists like Sergei Diaghilev, Pablo Picasso, and Jean Cocteau — a collaboration that gave rise to the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo. From 1928, Chanel chose to spend her summers at La Pausa, her Mediterranean villa designed by architect Robert Streitz, where she welcomed friends and leading artists of the era. This exhibition celebrates the profound bond between CHANEL and Monaco, a heritage of style, art de vivre, and international flair that inspired both Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld. CHANEL is proud to continue its support of the museum and its heritage of exhibitions.

Opening hours

Exhibition open every day from 10am to 6pm

Summer opening hours (july – august): 11am to 7pm

Entrance race

NMNM ticket: 6€

Free for everyone under 26 years old, scholar and children groups, Monegasques, members

ICOM and

CIMAM, job-seekers, disabled people

Free entrance every Sunday

NMNM / Villa Paloma

56, boulevard du Jardin Exotique – 98000 Monaco

+37 7 98.98.91.26

By bus

Lines 2 and 3, stop . Villa Paloma .

Line 5, stop . Parc Princesse Antoinette . (access through public lift)

By car

Parking . L’Engelin ., boulevard du Jardin Exotique Parking . Jardin Exotique ., access bd. du

Jardin

Exotique and bd. de Belgique

From the station

Bus Line 2, to Jardin Exotique, stop . Villa Paloma .

Bus Line 5, to H.pital, stop . Parc Princesse Antoinette . (access through public lift)