{{Short description|Spanish fashion designer (1895–1972)}}
{{Family name hatnote|Balenciaga|Eizaguirre|lang=Spanish}}
{{Infobox fashion designer
| name               = Cristóbal Balenciaga
| image              = Cristobal Balenciaga.jpg
| image_size         = 220px
| caption            = Balenciaga in 1950
| other_names        = 
| birth_name         = Cristóbal Balenciaga Eizaguirre
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1895|1|21|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Getaria, Gipuzkoa|Getaria]], Spain
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1972|3|24|1895|1|21|df=y}}
| death_place        = [[Valencia]], Spain
| resting_place      = Getaria Cemetery
| education          = 
| occupation         = Fashion designer
| years_active       = 1917–1972
| known_for          = [[Haute couture]]
| label_name         = [[Balenciaga]]
| partner            = Władzio Jaworowski d'Attainville (–1948)
| awards             = 
}}

'''Cristóbal Balenciaga Eizaguirre''' ({{IPA|es|kɾisˈtoβal βalenˈθjaɣa ejθaˈɣire|lang}}; {{langx|eu|Cristobal Balentziaga Eizagirre}} {{IPA|eu|kɾis̺toβal βalents̻i.aɣa eis̻aɣire|}}; 21 January 1895 – 24 March 1972) was a Spanish fashion designer, and the founder of the [[Balenciaga]] clothing brand. He had a reputation as a couturier of uncompromising standards and was referred to as "the master of us all" by [[Christian Dior]] and as "the only ''[[Haute couture|couturier]]'' in the truest sense of the word" by [[Coco Chanel]], who continued, "The others are simply [[Fashion design|fashion designers]]". On the day of his death, in 1972, ''[[Women's Wear Daily]]'' ran the headline "[[The king is dead, long live the king!|The King is Dead]]".

Since 2011 the purpose-built {{ill|Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum|es|Museo Balenciaga}} has exhibited examples of his work in his birth town [[Getaria, Spain|Getaria]]. Many of the 1,200 pieces in the collection were supplied by his pupil [[Hubert de Givenchy]] and clients such as  [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis|First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.]]

== Early life ==
Balenciaga was born in the [[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque]] town of [[Getaria, Spain|Getaria]] ([[Gipuzkoa]]), Spain on 21 January 1895.<ref name="met">{{cite web | last = Charleston | first = Beth Duncuff | title = Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972) | work = Timeline of Art History | publisher = [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] | date = October 2004 | url = http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bale/hd_bale.htm | access-date = 2007-06-06 | archive-date = 2007-01-27 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070127124703/http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bale/hd_bale.htm | url-status = live }}</ref> His father, José Balenciaga Basurto, was a mariner who died when Cristóbal was a boy, and his mother, Martina Eizaguirre Embil, a seamstress.<ref name=BT>{{Cite web|author=Arzalluz, Miren|url=https://basquetribune.com/cristobal-balenciaga-the-basque-roots-of-a-fashion-master/|title=Cristóbal Balenciaga. The Basque Roots of a Fashion Master|work=Basque Tribune|date=19 March 2016|access-date=15 June 2025}}</ref> As a child Balenciaga, together with his two siblings Agustina and Juan, often spent time with his mother as she worked.<ref name="met" /><ref name=BT/>  At the age of twelve, he began work as the apprentice of a tailor.<ref name="va">{{cite web |title=Cristóbal Balenciaga |work=Fashion, Jewellery & Accessories |publisher=[[Victoria and Albert Museum]] |url=http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion/features/1960s/fashion_designers/balenciaga/index.html |access-date=2007-06-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071123224424/http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion/features/1960s/fashion_designers/balenciaga/index.html |archive-date=2007-11-23 }}</ref> When he was a teenager, the [[Marquess|Marchioness]] de Casa Torres, the foremost noblewoman in his town, became his customer and patron.<ref name="met" /> She sent him to Madrid, where he was formally trained in tailoring.<ref name="met" />

== Career ==
Balenciaga was successful during his early career as a designer in Spain. He opened a boutique in [[San Sebastián]] in 1919,<ref>{{Citation
 | last = Breward
 | first = Christopher
 | publication-date = 2003
 | title = Fashion
 | series = Oxford History of Art
 | location = New York
 | publisher = Oxford University Press
 | page = 81
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=m7OKpg-ZbHAC
 | isbn = 978-0-19-284030-1
 | year = 2003
}}</ref> which expanded to include branches in Madrid and Barcelona.<ref name="met" /> The Spanish royal family and the aristocracy wore his designs, but when the [[Spanish Civil War]] forced him to close his stores, Balenciaga moved to Paris.<ref name="met" /><ref name="va" /> He opened his Paris couture house on [[Avenue George V]] in August 1937.<ref name="met" />

However, it was not until the post-war years that the full scale of the inventiveness of his highly original designs became evident.Balenciaga was particularly known for his experimental approach to garment construction, structure, and emphasizing volume. In 1951, he totally transformed the silhouette, broadening the shoulders and removing the waist. In 1955, he designed the tunic dress, which later developed into the [[Chemise|chemise dress]] of 1957. In 1959, his work culminated in the Empire line, with high-waisted dresses and coats cut like kimono.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cristobal-Balenciaga|title=Cristóbal Balenciaga {{!}} Spanish designer|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=2018-07-25|language=en|archive-date=2018-07-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725220246/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cristobal-Balenciaga|url-status=live}}</ref>

From 1956 onwards his fashion shows were always held one month after all other couture events. [[Hubert de Givenchy]] adopted this approach for ''[[Givenchy]]''.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Cristóbal Balenciaga Museoa |date=2019 |title=Cristóbal Balenciaga, Fashion and Heritage. Contexts |url=https://www.cristobalbalenciagamuseoa.com/default/documentos/359_en-download_press_dossier.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=2026-03-26 |publisher=Cristóbal Balenciaga Museoa |page=14 |language=en |format=pdf |publication-date=2019}}</ref>

In 1958, the French government awarded Balenciaga the [[Legion of Honour]] in the rank of a [[Knight]] ''(Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur)'' in recognition of his services to the fashion industry.<ref name=":1" />

In 1960 he made the wedding dress for [[Fabiola of Belgium|Fabiola de Mora y Aragón]] when [[Wedding of Baudouin of Belgium and Fabiola de Mora y Aragón|she married]] King [[Baudouin of Belgium]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cristobalbalenciagamuseoa.com/en/discover/current-exhibitions/fabiola-from-belgium-a-royal-wedding-.html |title=Fabiola from Belgium. A royal wedding |website=Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum |access-date=2024-01-29 |archive-date=2023-11-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120150405/https://www.cristobalbalenciagamuseoa.com/en/discover/current-exhibitions/fabiola-from-belgium-a-royal-wedding-.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He created many designs for C.I.A. agent [[Aline Griffith, Countess of Romanones|Aline Griffith]], diplomat [[Margarita Salaverría Galárraga]], and designer Meye Allende de Maier, considering them his muses.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.diariovasco.com/prensa/20061003/cultura/balenciaga-fuente-inspiracion_20061003.html |title=Balenciaga, fuente de inspiración |trans-title=Balenciaga, Source of Inspiration |first=Patricia |last=Espinosa de los Monteros |work=[[El Diario Vasco]] |location=San Sebastián |language=es |date=3 October 2006 |access-date=27 December 2018 |archive-date=28 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181228035358/https://www.diariovasco.com/prensa/20061003/cultura/balenciaga-fuente-inspiracion_20061003.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.abc.es/20110716/estilo-moda/abci-alta-sociedad-201107152327.html |title=Las nietas de las damas de la alta sociedad homenajean a Balenciaga |trans-title=The Granddaughters of the Ladies of High Society Pay Homage to Balenciaga |first=Patricia |last=Espinosa de los Monteros |work=[[ABC (newspaper)|ABC]] |language=es |date=16 July 2011 |access-date=27 December 2018 |archive-date=28 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181228035126/https://www.abc.es/20110716/estilo-moda/abci-alta-sociedad-201107152327.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He taught fashion design classes, inspiring other designers including [[Oscar de la Renta]], [[André Courrèges]], [[Emanuel Ungaro]], [[Mila Schön]], and [[Hubert de Givenchy]].<ref name="met" /> His often spare, sculptural creations were considered masterworks of ''[[haute couture]]'' in the 1950s and 1960s.

His most famous clients were [[Mona von Bismarck]], [[Gloria Guinness]], [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis|Jackie Kennedy]], [[Grace Kelly]], [[Ava Gardner]], and [[Audrey Hepburn]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2026}}

== Retirement and death ==
Balenciaga retired from the high fashion world in 1968 at the age of 74 after working in Paris for thirty years. First, he decided to retire from active life in May 1968 and, a few months later, on 1 July, the newspapers broke the news of his headquarters in Paris and his studios in Madrid closing, with the exception of its [[perfume]] and [[Fashion accessory|accessory]] divisions.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Balda2021">{{Cite journal |last=Balda Arana |first=Ana |date=2021-09-19 |title=“Balenciaga and la vie d́un chien” |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1362704X.2019.1704523 |journal=Fashion Theory |language=en |volume=25 |issue=6 |pages=855–871 |doi=10.1080/1362704X.2019.1704523 |issn=1362-704X|url-access=subscription }}</ref>{{rp|857, 866}}

The closing down of his business came by surprise even to his employees.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2016-12-09 |title=El hijo de un pescador que se convirtió en el diseñador español más famoso de la historia |url=https://www.revistavanityfair.es/la-revista/articulos/cristobal-balenciaga/23197 |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=Vanity Fair España |language=es |archive-date=2022-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303141252/https://www.revistavanityfair.es/la-revista/articulos/cristobal-balenciaga/23197 |url-status=live }}</ref> Subsequently, 112 of his employees filed a lawsuit against Balenciagas Spanish brand ''Eisa''. They regarded the closure as unjustified because there were still outstanding orders.<ref name="Balda2021" />{{rp|867–868}}

Balenciaga justified the closing with his habitual clinical brevity: "High fashion is mortally wounded".<ref name=":0" /> On one hand, the intense imposing burden of the French taxes blew through the largest part of the profits and, on the other, Americans stopped buying French high fashion, largely because of General [[Charles de Gaulle|de Gaulle]]'s anti-American politics. Americans had succeeded in representing close to seventy percent of the Balenciaga clientele.{{Citation needed|date=March 2026}}

Balenciaga returned to Spain. He lived in his house in [[Altea]] ([[Province of Alicante|Alicante]]), where he enjoyed [[painting]], [[conversing]], and eating in the company of some of his Spanish assistants.<ref name=":0" />

From July 1970 until his death in 1972, Balenciaga collaborated artistically with two Spanish [[prêt-à-porter]]  companies, though without investing any financial resources. Both companies did not achieve commercial success, as Balenciaga set high quality standards that were incompatible with the production of prêt-à-porter fashion.<ref name="Balda2021" />{{rp|862-866}}

In 1972, he accepted the job of designing a gown for the wedding of [[Carmen Martínez-Bordiú]], the daughter of one of his most important clients, [[Carmen Franco, 1st Duchess of Franco|Carmen Franco y Polo]], and hence, the granddaughter of dictator [[Francisco Franco]]. Her wedding to [[Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz|Alfonso de Borbón y Dampierre]], a grandson of the Spanish king-in-exile, [[Alfonso XIII]], was celebrated on 8 March 1972, Martínez-Bordiu's dress being Balenciaga's last couture work.<ref name="Balda2021" />{{rp|868.}}

In the spring of 1972, the [[Tribunal Supremo de España|Tribunal Supremo]], Spain’s Supreme Court, ruled in favour of the employees in the legal dispute over the closure of the Spanish company ''Eisa''. As a result, Balenciaga was forced to reopen ''Eisa''.<ref name="Balda2021" />{{rp|868}}

In March 1972, Balenciaga went to spend a vacation at the [[Paradores|Parador]] of [[Xàbia|Jávea]] (Alicante). On 22 March 1972, he suffered a [[heart attack]], followed by [[heart failure]]. Balenciaga died at the 24 March 1972 in a hospital in Valencia, he was 77 years old.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1972-03-25 |title=Balenciaga, Couturier, Is Dead |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/03/25/archives/balenciaga-couturier-is-dead-balenciaga-the-couturier-dead-af-77.html |access-date=2026-03-26 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Balda2021" />{{rp|868}} Balenciaga was buried in the Getaria Cemetery.<ref>Hispano americano, Volume 60, Issues 1539-1552, Tiempo, 1971, pg 72</ref><ref>{{cite news | last = | first = | title =Balenciaga rites held | work =The New York Times | page =63 | date =March 26, 1972 | url =https://www.nytimes.com/1972/03/26/archives/balenciaga-rites-held.html | accessdate =June 22, 2023 | archive-date =June 22, 2023 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20230622123349/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/03/26/archives/balenciaga-rites-held.html | url-status =live }}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Balenciaga was gay,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Be39AQAAQBAJ|title=Encyclopedia of Gay Histories and Cultures|last=Haggerty|first=George|date=2013-11-05|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781135585068|language=en}}</ref> although he kept his sexuality private throughout his life.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=maQYAAAAQBAJ|title=Fashion and Cultural Studies|last=Kaiser|first=Susan B.|date=2013-08-01|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=9780857854315|language=en}}</ref> The love of his life and his long time partner was Franco-Polish millionaire Władzio Jaworowski d'Attainville, who had helped set him up and fund him. When d'Attainville died in 1948, Balenciaga was so broken he considered closing the business.<ref>Blume, Mary ''The Master of Us All: Balenciaga, His Workrooms, His World'', Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013</ref> His next collection after d'Attainville's death was designed entirely in black to mourn his loss.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Balenciaga and Spain by Hamish Bowles, Vogue - YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPYUiFNNWtQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/rPYUiFNNWtQ |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|access-date=2021-01-02|website=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Throughout his life, Balenciaga had shunned the public eye.<ref>Glynn, Prudence. ''"Balenciaga and la vie d’un chien"''. ''The Times''. 03 August 1971.</ref> He gave only two interviews, both after his fashion house had closed: in 1968 to ''[[Paris Match]]'' magazine and in 1971 to [[Prudence Glynn]] for the newspaper ''[[The Times]]''.<ref name="Balda2021" />{{rp|858-860}}

== Work ==
During the 1950s, designers like [[Christian Dior]], [[Pierre Balmain]], and [[Coco Chanel]] emerged, creating pieces very representative to their fashion houses and to their own styles. An important protagonist for this period was Cristóbal Balenciaga. This Spanish fashion designer was known as "The King of Fashion" and "The Master of Us All" and was one of the great masterminds of the period. Balenciaga was born and raised in Spain, where he worked for the [[List of heads of state of Spain|Spanish royalty]], but because of the Spanish Civil War he moved to Paris where his genius was finally recognized, leading to a domination of the fashion scene.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Opening up the couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga.|last=Schillinger|first=L|publisher=International Herald Tribune|year=2013|location=Paris}}</ref>

The most eye-catching designer of this period was Balenciaga because of his structural designs, which had never before been seen in the fashion world. He was a master of construction, and created all of his work without any sketches or illustrations beforehand. This was practically unheard of in his time, and still is to this day. In the age of couture, most all couturiers were mainly proficient in illustration, lacking profound knowledge of the craft. It is said that when designing his garments, he began by feeling the fabric, and only then could he form a design around what would best suit it. Compared to his counterparts, he obtained an edge with his deep understanding and unrelenting precision.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972): The couturiers' couturier (2nd rev.ed.).|last=Miller|first=L.E.|publisher=V&A Publications.|year=2007|location=New York; London}}</ref> "He reshaped women's silhouette in the 1950s, so that clothes we think as typical of that decade are mostly dilutions of his work." (Irvine, 2013)<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Couture's divine mystery.|journal=Daily Telegraph. London.|year=2013}}</ref> Compared to some work like the [[Dior#"New Look"|New Look]] from [[Christian Dior]], which featured full skirts and a tiny waist,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Inspiration dior|last=Müller, F., Bongrand, C., & Pushkina.|publisher=Abrams Publications.|year=2011|location=New York}}</ref> Balenciaga worked to achieve what was seemingly the opposite. Much of Cristobal's work of the mid to later 50s showcased wildly avant garde designs which did not conform to the female body in the same ways; designs like the Sack Dress, which was developed alongside Hubert de Givenchy, the Cocoon Coat, and Babydoll Dress. He blurred the line of contemporary design by dropping waist lines and simplifying seams to achieve elegance in his designs. The one-seam Yoki coat's construction showcased this sewing approach; it featured a front and back that include the sleeves in their pattern pieces similar to the construction of a Kimono. He also invented multiple coats under his main line, Balenciaga, and the sister label, Eisa, which featured a back yoke that extended into the under sleeve, and also utilized a similar approach.{{Citation needed|date=March 2026}}

<gallery>
File:The Ladies' home journal (1947) (14776131784).jpg|Draped pink taffeta evening dress with black lace scarf (1947). ''[[Ladies' Home Journal]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weijkamp |first=Birthe |date=26 February 2015 |title=Een 'echt' Parijs model? |url=https://www.modemuze.nl/blog/een-%e2%80%98echt%e2%80%99-parijs-model |access-date=27 July 2015 |website=www.modemuze.nl |publisher=ModeMuze |language=nl |archive-date=1 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901074842/https://www.modemuze.nl/blog/een-%E2%80%98echt%E2%80%99-parijs-model |url-status=live }}</ref>
File:Spring 1951 Balenciaga evening dress.jpg|White cotton pique and black taffeta and organza evening gown (1951). [[Philadelphia Museum of Art]].
File:1957 Balenciaga chemise or sack dress, black bouclé wool 02.jpg|Black bouclé wool chemise or 'sack' dress (1957). [[Rhode Island School of Design Museum]].
File:Babydoll dress by Balenciaga, 1958.jpg|Black lace babydoll dress (1958). Philadelphia Museum of Art.
File:Two coats by Balenciaga. Balenciaga Museoaren inaugurazioa 24.jpg | Coats ({{circa|1960}}). Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum
File:C.1960 red and white printed dress. Balenciaga Museoaren inaugurazioa 22.jpg|Printed silk dress ({{circa|1960}}). Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum
</gallery>

== Legacy ==
In the studio of Cristóbal Balenciaga, many couturiers formed, some of which would reach international fame and would get to have their own business. Among these include [[Paco Rabanne]], [[André Courrèges|André Courreges]], [[Emanuel Ungaro]], [[Hubert de Givenchy]], or [[Oscar de la Renta|Óscar de la Renta]].<ref name=":0" />

=== Balenciaga brand ===
{{main|Balenciaga}}

The closing of Balenciaga's high fashion house in 1968 did not signify the extinction of "Balenciaga’s brand". The brand was inactive until 1986 when Jacques Konckier of Jacques Bogart bought the Balenciaga company.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Luengo |first=Pilar |date=1987-11-15 |title=Jaeques Konckier |language=es |work=El País |url=https://elpais.com/diario/1987/11/16/ultima/564015606_850215.html |access-date=2022-03-03 |issn=1134-6582 |archive-date=2022-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303141250/https://elpais.com/diario/1987/11/16/ultima/564015606_850215.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Although separate from its creator, Balenciaga has actively kept up in the fashion world since then as far as relevance. "His sense of proportion and measurement, and his vision and interpretation of the female body have anointed him as one of the more influential designers of all time".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cristobalbalenciagamuseoa.com/en/discover/cristobal-balenciaga/ |title=Cristóbal Balenciaga |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum |archive-date=2024-01-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240129111934/https://www.cristobalbalenciagamuseoa.com/en/discover/cristobal-balenciaga/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Balenciaga designs products of high fashion, ready-to-wear, perfumery, jewels, and other accessories. The Balenciaga business has mainly kept active in the perfumery and accessories spectrum. Popular items include the Motorcycle Bag<ref>{{Cite web |last=Satenstein |first=Liana |date=2021-09-13 |title=The Balenciaga Motorcycle Bag Is Officially Back |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/balenciaga-motorcycle-bag-new-york-fashion-week |access-date=2026-02-23 |website=Vogue |language=en-US}}</ref>, as well as their shoes due to their originality.

Today the Balenciaga fashion house continues under the direction of Cedric Charbit and under the ownership of the [[Kering]] group.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.glbtq.com/arts/fashion,3.html |title=Fashion |periodical=[[glbtq.com]] |year=2002 |last=Cole |first=Shaun |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226180953/http://www.glbtq.com/arts/fashion,3.html |archive-date=2015-02-26 }}</ref>

=== Presence in museums ===
[[File:Getaria - Palacio de Aldamar-Cristobal Balenciaga Museoa 2.JPG|thumb|Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum in Getaria]]
In Getaria, a foundation was established with the objective of creating a museum dedicated to Cristóbal Balenciaga. After numerous problems and the avoided judicial process about alleged inconsistencies in its management,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Torriente |first=Eugenia de la |date=2010-05-11 |title=La geometría estética de Balenciaga vuelve a casa |language=es |work=El País |url=https://elpais.com/diario/2010/05/11/cultura/1273528802_850215.html |access-date=2022-03-03 |issn=1134-6582 |archive-date=2022-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303141248/https://elpais.com/diario/2010/05/11/cultura/1273528802_850215.html |url-status=live }}</ref> the {{ill|Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum|es|Museo Balenciaga}} was inaugurated by [[Queen Sofía of Spain|Queen Sofía]] on 7 June 2011, with the presence of Hubert de Givenchy, who was the honorific president of the foundation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/06/07/paisvasco/1307442861.html|title=375 invitados arropan a la Reina Sofía en la inauguración del Museo Balenciaga|date=7 June 2011|publisher=[[El Mundo (Spain)|El Mundo]]|access-date=5 August 2013|language=es|archive-date=30 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630073737/http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/06/07/paisvasco/1307442861.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The museum opened on 10 June 2011.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Torriente |first=Eugenia de la |date=2011-06-02 |title=Balenciaga vuelve al mar |language=es |work=El País |url=https://elpais.com/diario/2011/06/02/cultura/1306965605_850215.html |access-date=2022-03-03 |issn=1134-6582 |archive-date=2022-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303141245/https://elpais.com/diario/2011/06/02/cultura/1306965605_850215.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-06-11 |title=El museo se viste de diario |url=https://www.diariovasco.com/20110611/mas-actualidad/cultura/balenciaga-abre-puertas-getaria-201106111016.html |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=El Diario Vasco |language=es |archive-date=2019-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410171440/https://www.diariovasco.com/20110611/mas-actualidad/cultura/balenciaga-abre-puertas-getaria-201106111016.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It has a collection of more than 1,200 pieces designed by him, some of them donations by disciples, like Givenchy, or clients, like Queen Fabiola – who donated her wedding dress to the foundation – and the heirs of Grace Kelly, although only one part displays simultaneously.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://es.reuters.com/article/topNews/idESMAE7560QX20110607|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226181902/http://es.reuters.com/article/topNews/idESMAE7560QX20110607|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 February 2015|title=Abre el museo Balenciaga, el primero dedicado a un modisto|date=7 June 2011|publisher=[[Reuters]]|access-date=5 August 2013|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Collection |url=https://www.cristobalbalenciagamuseoa.com/en/discover/collection-/ |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum |archive-date=2024-01-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240129111936/https://www.cristobalbalenciagamuseoa.com/en/discover/collection-/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The pieces are displayed on invisible mannequins.

The historic collection of the [[Museu Tèxtil i d'Indumentària|Museum of Textile and Clothing]], that is part of the [[Design Museum of Barcelona]], has an extensive number of dresses and accessories designed by Cristóbal Balenciaga, where its hats and headdresses stand out, for their great variety of shapes. The [[Museo del Traje|Museum of Garment]] (Madrid)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Museo del Traje |url=https://www.culturaydeporte.gob.es/mtraje/inicio.html |website=Museo del Traje |access-date=2022-03-03 |archive-date=2022-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303072727/https://www.culturaydeporte.gob.es/mtraje/inicio.html |url-status=live }}</ref> also has a collection of dresses designed by him. Within these exhibitions and pieces, people can find, like seen in the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]] (London), "sculptural silhouettes that the forms of architecture drink from, in the geometric lines of their patterns and also in the set with the volumes that allowed to go without saying as far as unthinkable in 1958, with his babydoll model: inspired in children clothing, the dress left in flotation without pressure to the figure and with total freedom of movement to the user".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tubella |first=Patricia |date=2017-06-02 |title=Cristóbal Balenciaga resucita en una gran exposición en Londres |language=es |work=El País |url=https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/06/02/estilo/1496418240_815685.html |access-date=2022-03-03 |issn=1134-6582 |archive-date=2022-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303141246/https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/06/02/estilo/1496418240_815685.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

His work has been an object of numerous museum study expositions, starting with an anthology exposition that the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] (New York) provided in 1973, "The World of Balenciaga", which exhibited for six months, with 180 models on display. Balenciaga's garments accompanied the paintings of [[Francisco Goya|Goya]], [[Diego Velázquez|Velázquez]], [[El Greco]], [[Ignacio Zuloaga|Zuloaga]], [[Joan Miró|Miró]] or [[Pablo Picasso|Picasso]], in which they had inspired the designs of the Basque couturier. It was the first time that an art museum of the importance of the Metropolitan added dresses to the category of works of art. In Spain, a namesake exposition was also celebrated, which was installed in the noble living rooms of the Palace of Library and National Museums in Madrid.{{Citation needed|date=March 2026}}

On 24 March 2011, [[De Young (museum)|M. H. de Young Museum]] (San Francisco) celebrated the opening of "Balenciaga and Spain", a 120-piece fashion retrospective of his career. "You can't even measure it", said [[Rodarte]] designer Laura Mulleavy, of Balenciaga's influence. The $2,500-a-ticket fund-raiser for the museum drew 350 guests, including [[Marissa Mayer]], [[Jamie Tisch]], [[Gwyneth Paltrow]], [[Orlando Bloom]], [[Balthazar Getty]], [[Maggie Rizer]], [[Connie Nielsen]], [[Maria Bello]], and [[Mia Wasikowska]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://wwd.com/feature/a-spanish-night-for-balenciaga-in-san-francisco-3565172-909687/|title=A Spanish Night for Balenciaga in San Francisco|date=25 March 2011|journal=[[Women's Wear Daily]]|access-date=27 March 2011|archive-date=19 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619180604/https://wwd.com/feature/a-spanish-night-for-balenciaga-in-san-francisco-3565172-909687/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Queen Letizia of Spain]] wears a 1948 black dress and a 1962 fuchsia cape, designed by Balenciaga and owned by the Antoni de Montpalau Foundation, in the portrait made in 2024 by [[Annie Leibovitz]] for the [[Bank of Spain]] portrait gallery.<ref name="ElMundo">{{cite news|author=Pina, Marina|title=El nexo que une la capa de Doña Letizia en las fotos de Leibovitz con la boda de los Reyes Juan Carlos I y Sofía|url=https://www.elmundo.es/loc/casa-real/2024/11/26/6744a4cefc6c833b5f8b45bf.html|newspaper=[[El Mundo (Spain)|El Mundo]] |access-date=11 December 2024 |language=es |date=26 November 2024}}</ref>

=== Cultural depictions ===
His friend, the sculptor [[Eduardo Chillida]], made a sculpture-tribute called ''Homage to Balenciaga''. San Sebastián, also pays homage with a promenade, that is situated in the neighborhood of [[Igeldo]], where he had a house.{{Citation needed|date=March 2026}}

''[[Cristóbal Balenciaga (TV series)|Cristóbal Balenciaga]]'' is a [[Disney+]] biographical drama series starring [[Alberto San Juan]] in the titular role.<ref name="ElEspañol">{{cite news |last=Prieto|first=Belén|title=Disney+ anuncia la fecha de estreno de 'Cristóbal Balenciaga', la serie sobre el diseñador de moda español |url=https://www.elespanol.com/series/disney-plus/20231030/disney-anuncia-fecha-estreno-cristobal-balenciaga-serie-disenador-moda-espanol/805919539_0.html |newspaper=[[El Español]] |access-date=6 January 2024 |language=es |date=30 October 2023}}</ref> [[Nuno Lopes]] plays Cristóbal Balenciaga in the [[Apple TV+]] series about [[Christian Dior]], ''[[The New Look (TV series)|The New Look]]''.<ref name="Fashion Network">{{cite news |last=Muret |first=Dominique |title=From Balenciaga to Dior, TV series celebrate haute couture in 2024 |url=https://ww.fashionnetwork.com/news/From-balenciaga-to-dior-tv-series-celebrate-haute-couture-in-2024,1588993.html |website=Fashion Network |access-date=6 January 2024 |language=es |date=22 December 2023 |archive-date=6 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240106194858/https://ww.fashionnetwork.com/news/From-balenciaga-to-dior-tv-series-celebrate-haute-couture-in-2024,1588993.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Javier Rey]] plays Cristóbal Balenciaga in the [[Telecinco]] drama miniseries ''[[Lo que escondían sus ojos]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.diezminutos.es/teleprograma/series-tv/g1554367/blanca-suarez-lo-que-escondian-sus-ojos-ruben-cortada/|magazine=[[Diez Minutos]]|title=Blanca Suárez ya es la bella marquesa de Llanzol en 'Lo que escondían sus ojos'|date=27 January 2016|access-date=28 January 2024|archive-date=21 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521091547/https://www.diezminutos.es/teleprograma/series-tv/g1554367/blanca-suarez-lo-que-escondian-sus-ojos-ruben-cortada/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book | author = Alzugaray, Juan José | title = Vascos Relevantes Del Siglo XX | publisher = Ediciones Encuentro | date = 2004 | page = 63 | language = es }}
* {{cite book | author = Arzalluz, Miren | title = Cristóbal Balenciaga, la forja del maestro (1895–1936) | location = San Sebastián | publisher = Diputación Foral de Guipúzcoa | date = 2010 | language = es }}
* {{cite news | author = Azurmendi, Nerea | title = El Museo Se Viste De Diario | newspaper = [[El Diario Vasco]] | date = 11 June 2011 | url = https://www.diariovasco.com/20110611/mas-actualidad/cultura/balenciaga-abre-puertas-getaria-201106111016.html | language = es }}
* {{cite book | author = Blume, M. | date = 2013 | title = The master of all us: Balenciaga, his workrooms, his world. | publisher = Publishers Weekly }}
* {{cite book | author = [[Hamish Bowles|Bowles, H.]] | title = Balenciaga and Spain |location = New York | publisher = Rizzoli | date = 2010 }}
* {{cite news | author = Bowles, H. | title = Shaping Fashion: Vogue's Hamish Bowles Explores a Buzzed-About Balenciaga Exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum. | magazine = [[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]] | date = 2 July 2017 | url = https://www.vogue.com/article/hamish-bowles-balenciaga-exhibition-victoria-and-albert-museum }}
* {{cite journal | author = Charleston, Beth Duncuff | date = October 2004 | url = http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bale/hd_bale.htm | title = Cristobal Balenciaga (1895–1972) | journal = Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | publisher = [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] }}
* {{cite news | author = de la Torriente, Eugenia | title = Balenciaga Vuelve Al Mar | newspaper = [[El País]] | date = 2 June 2011 | url = https://elpais.com/diario/2011/06/02/cultura/1306965605_850215.html | language = es }}
* {{cite news | author = de la Torriente, Eugenia | title = La Geometría Estética De Balenciaga Vuelve a Casa | newspaper = [[El País]] | date = 11 May 2010 | url = https://elpais.com/diario/2010/05/11/cultura/1273528802_850215.html | language = es }}
* {{cite news | author = [[Susan Irvine|Irvine, Susan]] | title = The mysterious Cristóbal Balenciaga | url=http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/article/TMG10275681/The-mysterious-Cristobal-Balenciaga.html | access-date=3 August 2015 | newspaper = [[The Daily Telegraph]] | date=3 September 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122212347/http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/article/TMG10275681/The-mysterious-Cristobal-Balenciaga.html|archive-date=22 January 2015}}
* {{cite news | author = [[Boris Izaguirre|Izaguirre, Boris]] | title = El Hijo De Un Pescador Que Se Convirtió En El Diseñador Español Más Famoso De La Historia | magazine = [[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] España | date = 9 December 2016 | url = https://www.revistavanityfair.es/la-revista/articulos/cristobal-balenciaga/23197 | language = es }}
* {{cite book | author1 = Jouve, M. A. | author2 = Demornex, J. | title = Balenciaga | location = Paris | publisher = Éditions du Regard | date = 1988 }}
*  {{cite book | author = Jouve, M. A. | title = Balenciaga | publisher = Assouline | date = 1998 }}
* {{cite news | author = Luengo, Pilar | title = Jacques Konckier| newspaper = [[El País]] | date = 15 November 1987 | url = https://elpais.com/diario/1987/11/16/ultima/564015606_850215.html | language = es }}
* {{cite news | author = Martínez Tato, Marta | title = El Legado De Balenciaga, Como Nunca Lo Habías Visto. | magazine = [[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] España | date = 23 March 2018 | url = https://www.revistavanityfair.es/lujo/moda/articulos/exposicion-balenciaga-patrimonio-y-moda/29994 | language = es}}
* {{cite news | author = Menkes, Suzy | title = Museum to Open in Basque Designer's Birthplace : Temple to a Monk of Fashion | newspaper = [[The New York Times]] | date = 23 May 2000 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/23/style/IHT-museum-to-open-in-basque-designers-birthplace-temple-to-a-monk-of.html }}
* {{cite book | author = Miller, L. E. | title = Cristóbal Balenciaga | location = London | publisher = Batsford | date = 1993 }}
* {{cite book | author = Miller, L. E. | title = Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895–1972): The couturiers' couturier | location = New York, London | publisher = V&A Publications | date = 2007 }}
* {{cite book | author = Schillinger, L | date= 2013 | title = Opening up the couturier Cristobal Balencuaga | location = Paris | publisher = International Herald Tribune }}
* {{cite news | author = Tubella, Patricia | title = Cristóbal Balenciaga Resucita En Una Gran Exposición En Londres | newspaper = [[El País]] | date = 2 June 2017 | url=https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/06/02/estilo/1496418240_815685.html | language = es }}
* {{cite book | title = España, 50 años de moda | publisher = [[City Council of Barcelona|Ajuntament de Barcelona]] | date= 1987–1988 | page = 25 | language = es }}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Cristobal Balenciaga}}
* {{fashiondesigner|id=cristobal-balenciaga}}
* {{IMDb name|0050069}}
* [https://www.cristobalbalenciagamuseoa.com/en/ Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum]
* [https://www.cultura.gob.es/mtraje/visita/visita-virtual/balenciaga.html Cristóbal Balenciaga] at [[Museo del Traje|Museum of Garment]] (Madrid)
* [https://cataleg.museudeldisseny.cat/resultat/?search=balenciaga&lang=en Cristóbal Balenciaga] at [[Design Museum of Barcelona|Museum of Design]] (Barcelona)
* [https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/cristobal-balenciaga Cristóbal Balenciaga] at [[Victoria and Albert Museum]] (London)
* [https://collections.carli.illinois.edu/digital/collection/chm_museum/search/searchterm/balenciaga Cristóbal Balenciaga] at [[Chicago History Museum]] Digital Collections
* [http://www.belmal.be/courtesy_hosting/research/art/fashion/balenciaga/library/bibliotheque_mode_balenciaga_fashion_library.htm Balenciaga library collection] at the BelMal Malletier Fashion Library (Belgium)

{{Gucci}}
{{Authority control (arts)|country=ES}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balenciaga, Cristobal}}
[[Category:1895 births]]
[[Category:1972 deaths]]
[[Category:Basque artists]]
[[Category:LGBTQ fashion designers]]
[[Category:Spanish gay artists]]
[[Category:Spanish fashion designers]]
[[Category:People from Getaria]]
[[Category:Gucci people]]
[[Category:20th-century Spanish LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:20th-century fashion designers]]