14 Nov Sofia Coppola Is Throwing a Ball at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris
Source Credit: Content and images from Artnet News. Read the original article - https://news.artnet.com/art-world/sofia-coppola-ball-musee-des-arts-decoratifs-paris-2569704
Visionary auteur Sofia Coppola is having a ball.
Paris’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs (MAD) has hosted its share of massive parties over the years, like the International Fashion Gala in 2020. Next summer, however, MAD will revive Paris’s famed “Grand Ball” tradition by throwing the institution’s first such fete on July 6, 2025. Today, MAD announced that Coppola will serve as artistic director for the forthcoming event, officially called the Bal d’Été. In her role, she will commandeer the fairy tale affair’s overall vibe.
“I am honored to be entrusted with the artistic direction of the Bal d’Été” Coppola said in today’s press release from MAD. “This city is my beloved second home, so to celebrate this icon of French culture is especially inspiring to me.”
Jean-Victor Meyers. Image: © David Sims, courtesy of MAD.
L’Oreal heir Jean-Victor Meyers, who is serving as President of the Honorary Committee for the gala, had an apparent hand in Coppola’s appointment. “Coppola was the natural choice—an artist who effortlessly blends fashion, music, cinema, art, and design into immersive worlds,” Meyers said in the same release. “She’s the perfect person to infuse this event with life, celebrating creativity in all its forms, supporting the museum and the schools that cultivate future designers, and spotlighting emerging talent.”
Established in 1882, MAD ranks as the second-oldest museum in Paris. (The longest-tenured institution in the City of Lights is the Carnavalet-History of Paris Museum.) But, MAD is also by far the largest museum of decorative arts in continental Europe, boasting a collection of more than 1.5 million pieces of mostly French design that bridges Jean Debuffet paintings with vintage toys and the archive of French fashion house Dior. Its Bal d’Été, in fact, will specifically court the fashion set by taking place at the start of Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week. Next year, the biannual showcase of red carpet-worthy, hand-tailored designs will run from July 7 to July 10, 2025.
Le Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, France. Image: Luc Boegly, © MAD.
According to its announcement, though, Bal d’Été will predominantly commemorate the 100th anniversary of Paris’s Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes—a 57-acre edition of the World’s Fair that sought optimism after the war and popularized the beloved Art Deco style in the process.
The Bal d’Été will also raise funds to support MAD’s many programs and projects. As Harper’s Bazaar reported, tickets to the exclusive first portion of the party will be accessible only to individuals and families, as opposed to brands, which is how the Met Gala works. The second part of the evening will be open for design and fashion students to attend.
While press materials promise “[a] tribute to French elegance and art de vivre,” additional details remain in the works. MAD said over email they don’t have anything further to share. Based solely on Coppola’s art world experience, her famous friends, and the refined aesthetics of her renowned films like Marie Antoinette (2006) and Priscilla (2024), this event will be art incarnate.
Source Credit: Content and images from Artnet News. Read the original article - https://news.artnet.com/art-world/sofia-coppola-ball-musee-des-arts-decoratifs-paris-2569704