MoMu Collection Travels to Paris: Stephen Jones' Hats Shine Abroad

This autumn, forty objects from the MoMu Collection will be relocating temporarily to Paris, where they will be exhibited in Stephen Jones' retrospective exhibition at Palais Galliera. Discover how this prestigious Parisian museum obtained these hats on loan and what preparations are involved in museum loans.

"We have the largest collection of Stephen Jones hats outside of his own archive," says MoMu Costume Mounter, Frédéric Boutié. "Jones knows our collection well and has selected some objects from it to put on show in his retrospective. At his request, we are also lending some silhouettes by Walter Van Beirendonck and A.F.Vandevorst, Belgian designers with whom he worked."

"Once the selection was complete, we made special mounts in order to transport the hats. Only then could we transport them from our depot to our studios. There, we restored a number of objects. The hats we are providing on loan include objects from Jones' early years, as well as some of his recent creations. We then prepared a condition report for each piece, noting its current condition."

But for Boutié, the work doesn't just end there: "I actually oversee the loan from A to Z, which means I will also install everything in Paris. Many of the hats will be displayed on an invisible mount. I need to check that those custom-made mounts are stable enough and will not damage the hats. We also need to check what systems we can use to support the remaining hats, as well as what the mannequinage of the silhouettes looks like." Hats off to all involved!

Stephen Jones, chapeaux d'artiste is on view from 19 October 2024 through 16 March 2025 at Palais Galliera in Paris. More info