Rick Owens to Unveil Monumental “Temple of Love” Retrospective at Palais Galliera
Rick Owens will take center stage this summer in Paris with an expansive new exhibition titled Temple of Love, opening June 28 at the Palais Galliera. Positioned as a landmark retrospective, the show is set to be one of the most ambitious in the museum’s history, occupying not only its interior galleries but extending onto its façade and garden spaces. Under Owens’ own artistic direction, the exhibition will offer a deeply immersive experience celebrating his boundary-defying career.
The Palais Galliera describes the show as a “meditation on love, beauty and diversity” with a monumental presentation that reflects the American designer’s singular aesthetic. More than 100 fashion silhouettes will be on display, alongside a mix of personal documents, film clips, and artworks from figures such as Gustave Moreau, Joseph Beuys, and Steven Parrino. The gardens will be transformed with statues draped in sequined fabrics—a dramatic gesture emblematic of Owens’ performative, architectural vision.
Owens, who launched his namesake brand in 1994 and relocated to Paris in 2003, has built a cult following through collections that draw from underground subcultures, early Hollywood epics, and avant-garde art. His recent Spring 2025 menswear collection cited inspiration from Cecil B. DeMille’s biblical films and the decadent writing of Joris-Karl Huysmans.
The exhibition is curated by Miren Arzalluz, director of the Palais Galliera, with Alexandre Samson, head of collections, serving as scientific curator. It follows the 2017 Milan retrospective Subhuman Inhuman Superhuman, marking a new high point in Owens’ ongoing relationship with the world of art and fashion institutions.