Palais Galliera, the Musée de la Ville de Paris, is hosting the first Paris retrospective of Rick Owens' creative work, "Rick Owens, Temple of Love." The exhibition features over 100 silhouettes carefully selected from Owens' archives, spanning his early Los Angeles period to the present, exploring his philosophy, architecture, and definition of "beauty."

photo by MATTEO CARCELLI / Courtesy of OWENSCORP
Owens's work, centered on spirituality and ritual, has always intersected with diverse cultural contexts, including literature, film, fine art, religious iconography, and subculture. This exhibition visually traces the sources of Owens's inspiration, from the Symbolist literature of Joris-Karl Huysmans to contemporary art and early 20th-century film. Rick Owens himself served as artistic director in organizing the exhibition, which has been designed to extend beyond the museum's interior and include its exterior walls and gardens. This creates an experience reminiscent of a spatial installation, going beyond the framework of a fashion exhibition.

photo by MATTEO CARCELLI / Courtesy of OWENSCORP

Reclaimed materials and serene structures—the rebellious elegance of his early works
Born in California in 1961, Owens began his career as a pattern cutter in Los Angeles before launching his own brand in 1992. His early works, in which he breathed new life into "existing objects" such as military bags, blankets, and worn leather, transforming them into dresses and jackets, reveal his ability to discover the possibilities of limited materials.

photo by MATTEO CARCELLI / Courtesy of OWENSCORP
His color palette, which includes a distinctive gray named "Dust" as well as black and smoky tones, clearly demonstrates his approach of stripping away color and focusing on structure and texture. It is also a form with such power that it evokes an architectural tension.

photo by MATTEO CARCELLI / Courtesy of OWENSCORP

Provocation and celebration—the messages conveyed in shows since Paris
Since moving to Paris in 2003, Owens has used the fashion show format itself as a platform for experimentation. His direction has always raised questions about gender, the body, and society, with one show featuring a black female step dance troupe as models, and another show featuring male models with exposed genitals.

photo by MATTEO CARCELLI / Courtesy of OWENSCORP
In recent years, he has responded to global crises and unstable social conditions with more sculptural, tranquil forms and vibrant colors. A major characteristic of his work is the inclusion of polar opposites such as destruction and rebirth, love and loss, within a single silhouette.

photo by MATTEO CARCELLI / Courtesy of OWENSCORP

Collaboration with Michèle Lamy: Reconstructing a Private Space
This exhibition also sheds light on Michèle Lamy, an essential figure in discussing Owens's work. To visualize the influence of her as his longtime partner and collaborator, the couple's bedroom from their time in California has been recreated within the museum. This attempt to reconstruct a private space conveys the sense of "life" behind the brand. The exhibition also features works by artists such as Gustave Moreau, Joseph Beuys, and Stephen Parrino, providing a multifaceted introduction to the roots of Owens's aesthetic.

photo by MATTEO CARCELLI / Courtesy of OWENSCORP

The scale of the exhibition transforms the museum itself into a "temple."
The exhibition also extends outside the museum. The statues on the exterior walls are covered in sequin-embroidered fabric, creating an atmosphere of quiet celebratory quality. The garden features 30 Brutalist concrete sculptures reminiscent of Owens' furniture line, along with his beloved California native plants and grape vines.

photo by MATTEO CARCELLI / Courtesy of OWENSCORP
"Rick Owens, Temple Of Love" is an exhibition of unprecedented scale that transcends fashion to present a meditation on love, beauty, and diversity. Each silhouette quietly speaks to visitors, transforming the museum itself into a temple of creativity and faith.

photo by MATTEO CARCELLI / Courtesy of OWENSCORP