Summer 2025 exhibitions: Rick Owens’ unforgettable aesthetic, Jenny Saville’s striking self-portraits, a focus on the history of kimonos, and Wolfgang Tillmans asks: are we prepared?

Jun 4 , 2025

Visionary at work: Rick Owens directs a fitting for the Babel spring/summer 2019 show at Paris’ Palais Bourbon. The designer’s avant-garde designs are the subject of an exhibition in the city during the second half of this year. Photo: Handout

Head to Paris to explore avant-garde fashion with Rick Owens, and consider the future with Tillmans; visit London to see Saville’s powerful paintings; and fly to Melbourne to get wrapped up in kimonos

Rick Owens, Temple of Love

Rick Owens’ autumn/winter 2023 Luxor runway, one of the designer’s unforgettable shows at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. Photo: Handout

American designer Rick Owens, who has called Paris home since 2003, is the subject and artistic director of an exhibition at Palais Galliera museum. Since moving to the French capital, the Los Angeles-born designer, who established his eponymous label in 1992, has been wowing his devoted fans with unforgettable shows, most of them held at the nearby Palais de Tokyo. The exhibition, titled “Rick Owens, Temple of Love”, will display more than 100 outfits, and also features Owens’ personal archives, videos, art installations, and pieces from artists like Joseph Beuys and Steven Parrino. From June 28, 2025, to January 4, 2026.

Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting

Jenny Saville took the art world by storm in the 1990s with paintings such as Propped (1992), which features in the current retrospective of her work. Photo: Gagosian

Jenny Saville rose to prominence in the 90s as one of the original Young British Artists (YBAs), who took the art world by storm with their often controversial work. Known for her large-scale figurative paintings, Saville had her first break with her graduation show at the Glasgow School of Art. “Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting”, an exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery, brings together more than 50 of her works, from oil paintings to charcoal drawings. From June 20 to September 7.

Kimono

The word “kimono” means “thing to wear” in Japanese, which is no surprise, since until relatively recently the wrapped-front garment was the most common form of clothing in Japan. Normally made from silk and embroidered with motifs such as flowers and birds, the kimono can be considered a piece of art, as the exhibition “Kimono”, at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, demonstrates. Comprising more than 70 pieces, the show also features creations from fashion designers such as Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. From June 4 to October 5.

Wolfgang Tillmans: Rien Ne Nous y Préparait – Tout Nous y Préparait

Later this year, the Centre Pompidou, one of Paris’ most visited museums and one of its most striking architectural landmarks, will close for an extensive renovation expected to last until 2030. Before the temporary closure, the museum will host an exhibition in collaboration with German artist Wolfgang Tillmans, who was given carte blanche to reimagine the second floor of the museum’s library. From photographs to videos, music and text, Tillmans’ oeuvre will interact with the space envisioned by legendary architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers. Not much else is yet known about the show, titled “Wolfgang Tillmans: Rien Ne Nous y Préparait – Tout Nous y Préparait” (Nothing Could Have Prepared Us – Everything Could Have Prepared Us). From June 13 to September 22.

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