The High Museum of Art is turning the runway into an art gallery with Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Statements, a bold new exhibition that explores the line between high fashion and fine art.
Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren are Dutch fashion artists known for their provocative haute couture. The show opened Oct. 10 and features more than 100 avant-garde pieces from the design duo’s 30-year career and will be displayed through Feb. 8, 2026.
“Our chief curator, Kevin Tucker, worked previously with the exhibition’s curator, Thierry-Maxime Loriot, a few years ago; they had already known each other, so that relationship was already there,” Brittany Mizell, the High Museum’s senior coordinator of public relations, said. “Kevin knew how great the [Thierry’s] work was and then saw Thierry’s work in Munich where the exhibition first opened, with the work on view, and it was just a fantastic exhibition when they saw it.”
That connection across countries helped bring the internationally recognized show to Atlanta, the exhibit’s only U.S. stop. Mizell said the partnership aligned with the museum’s goal of bringing global art experiences to local audiences.
“[Tucker] knew it was something that Atlanta would enjoy, and it was something that the High wanted to share with Atlanta’s audience, as well,” Mizell said. “And we do what we can to show Atlanta audiences what they want to see and make sure that our artworks, our exhibitions are diverse in what we show.”
The exhibition welcomes visitors with a dramatic visual that sets the tone for Viktor&Rolf’s unconventional approach to art and fashion.
“The first thing you see when you walk off the elevators is this upside down dress that people may have seen on a runway a few years ago for Victor&Rolf,” Mizell said. “So, you’re already starting out the exhibition on just this crazy note of this upside down dress. It’s beautiful. It’s centered.”
Visitors move through eight themed sections that follow the designers’ evolution. From their earliest concepts to theatrical, sculptural couture, each room immerses guests in the world of Viktor&Rolf with a combination of fashion, photography and craftsmanship.
“And their work, this exhibition also spans nearly three decades of their work,” Mizell said. “So, you’ll see not only just some of their fashion looks, but there’s also photography involved. There’s these dolls that they also put, they scale down their dresses and put them on these dolls, as well for archival purposes. So, it’s a broad spanning exhibition with something for everyone to see.”
Morgan Tolley, who visited the exhibition, said the variety of rooms and lighting design helped guide her through the exhibition and made each space feel distinct.
“I would say it was definitely very peaceful, quiet in there. As we were exploring, I thought the
lighting was dim and so that really highlighted the pieces that we’re looking at because they were more so under a light,” Tolley said. “The rooms were different vibes, which was kind of cool — one room where all the white dresses gave a completely different vibe, then the back room and the one with the mirrors on the wall. It kind of took you on a journey the whole time.”
One of the exhibition’s highlights is the ballroom gallery, where gowns slowly rotate on turntables, allowing visitors to take in every angle of the designs.
“There’s one section in the ballroom where there are these ball gowns, and it’s a lot of them that are packed into one room, so I know spacing was a little more difficult for them to figure out,” Mizell said. “They really wanted to make sure folks could see everything, all angles of these dresses.”
Despite the challenge of fitting so many gowns into a gallery, the exhibition leaves a lasting impression on visitors.
“The room was surrounded by mirrors, and it had chandeliers, [with] 20 dresses or so in there. And they were all really vibrant, and some of them had sayings on them,” Tolley said. “I think that was the coolest part because it was surprising; it was in the middle, so I didn’t really know what I was walking into.”
The exhibit’s bold designs encouraged visitors to think about how fashion can also function as an art form.
“The messaging that they had on the dresses and everything was very conceptual; it wasn’t normal fashion that you would see on the street, so that made it feel a little more like art,” Tolley said. “I know they had one that was a pillow and blanket, but they turned it into a dress, and I was like, that’s definitely art.”
Tolley also acknowledged how the exhibit’s presence in Atlanta reflects the city’s growing art and fashion scene.
“Atlanta — I already knew it was a big cultural hub, so it’s really cool to see it being appreciated for that, and it’s incredible that people would travel to Atlanta to see the exhibit,” Tolley said. “I am shocked that it wouldn’t go to
somewhere like New York or Miami; so, I think that tells me that Atlanta is really growing in the art space.”
While Viktor&Rolf is currently based in Paris, the High Museum’s broader mission is to display a wide range of artistic voices. This includes partnering international fashion with local perspectives, as seen in the exhibition with Atlanta-based photographers.
“In the exhibition itself, actually, what brings us full circle back to Atlanta in one room of the exhibition, there are some photographs by photographers AB+DM – that’s Ahmad Barber and Donté Maurice,” Mizell said. “We commissioned them to photograph some of Victor&Rolf’s looks so that we could have those photographs in the exhibition and also kind of bring that back to Atlanta.”
This collaboration emphasizes the High’s effort to blend international art with local talent and gives Atlantans a more personal connection to the exhibition.
“And in the fashion space, it’s something that they do well on their own,” Mizell said. “But it also shows how these works, paired with photography and these other things, it is all artwork that deserves to be in museum spaces.”
Beyond just a showcase of couture, the exhibit invites audiences to see deeper meanings in the fashion exhibits.
“I think we hope people take away a deeper understanding of Victor&Rolf’s work, as a whole, just because they are known as being these daring creatives that make work that’s not something people usually see,” Mizell said. “We hope people walk away with a sense of wonder, a sense of fashion belongs in museums.”
The High Museum hopes visitors will take advantage of this rare opportunity to see the designer’s groundbreaking work up close.
“I think what really makes this exhibition special beyond just the amazing works that are in it is that the High is not only the exclusive U.S. venue for this exhibition, but this is also the first major retrospective of their work,” Mizell said. “We really want people to come see it while it’s here, just because it will be traveling out of the country after this.”