During a flash exhibition which ended a few days ago, the costumes from the series The Dragon Housederived from the other famous series Game Of Thrones rubbed shoulders with masterpieces from the Gallery of the Royal Collections in Madrid. The exhibition consisted of the “Targaryenne” room, dedicated to costumes from the globally successful series.
The “Targaryen” room owes its name to the Targaryen dynasty, one of the dynasties at the heart of political intrigues in The House of the Dragonot. On the third floor of the museum, one could see the accessories of King Aegon II Targaryen (played by Tom Glynn-Carney) and his brother Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), defenders of the “Green Council”. Alongside them were the robe and crown of Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) as well as the armor of Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith). We could also discover a golden crown with the seal of the House of the Dragon and the costumes of the children of Viserys.
Series costume designer Caroline McCall, known for her work for Downton Abbeywon a BAFTA in 2011 and an Emmy Award in 2014. The exhibition’s scenography took up the opposition of the two warring Dragon Houses through a green and gold banner and another black and red.
For the exhibition, the streaming platform MAX had commissioned artist Laura Cano to create a portrait of the two heirs to the Iron Throne, Aegon II and Rhaenyra. The paintings, displayed alongside the costumes of the two characters, were accompanied by a QR code and an audio guide that revealed to visitors the secrets of the first season of the series. The artist explains that she was inspired by images from the first season (the actors were not available to pose) and by historical paintings. Laura Cano thus drew on the very violent character of King Philip V to represent the character of Aegon II Targaryen.
Laura Cano, Portraits of Aegon II and Rhaenyraseries Dragon House.
© L. Cano /MAX
The exhibition is an initiative of the MAX platform to promote the second season of The Dragon House released on June 17. By exhibiting the unpublished costumes of the episodes not yet broadcast, the platform has taken a gamble to attract fans. The short duration of the exhibition (June 14 to 16 extended until June 22) is a decision of the MAX platform in connection with the promotional action, explains the museum’s management.
Even if museums “are going crazy trying to organize events to attract this type of audience”explains the museum’s deputy director, Antonio Sanchez, the management welcomed the initiative of this unexpected collaboration. The museum sees it as an opportunity to reach a new audience of fans of series, young and very connected. According to the museum’s management, this new type of exhibition also allows young people to discover the history and collections of the museums.
Exhibitions on series attract audiences all over the world. In 2022, the immersive exhibition The Friends experience at the Porte de Versailles in Paris invited the public to sit on the sofa of the most famous group of friends. Due to its success, the exhibition was extended until February 2023. In 2023, the exhibition “Don’t skip” returned to the memorable opening credits of series such as The Addams Family, The Crown And Games of Thrones.
