joséphine baker, an extraordinary destiny

The exhibition presents the exceptional life of the first African-American woman to be inducted into the Pantheon, through a wide variety of documents, drawings, photographs and haute couture creations.

These priceless pieces come largely from a private collection, which will be integrated into the future museum’s principal collection. This collection is supplemented by loans from fashion houses and private collections. These lenders also include the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, with dresses created for Naomi Campbell as a tribute to Josephine Baker, the Peter Lindbergh Foundation with photos of the famous photographer's photos of Naomi Campbell posing in Alaïa's dresses for Vogue, the Balmain house with sketches of a suit made in 1951 for Baker, and the Anouschka house with dresses illustrating Joséphine's favourite fashion couturiers from the 1920s to the 1970s.