Our new clothes : acquisitions of the 1990s

82 Pages·1999·3.3 MB·English

by  Martin, Richard (Richard Harrison)

OUR NEW CLOTHES: ACQUISITIONS OF THE 1990s
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OUR NEW CLOTHES: ACQUISITIONS OF THE 990s
1
RichardMartin
PhotographsbyKarinL.Willis
TheMetropolitanMuseumofArt,NewYork
DistributedbyHarryN.Abrams,Inc.,NewYork
Thisvolumehasbeenpublishedinconjunctionwith ThecolorphotographyinthisvolumeisbyKarinL.
theexhibition"OurNewClothes:Acquisitionsofthe Willis,ThePhotographStudio.TheMetropolitan
1990s,"heldatTheMetropolitanMuseumofArt MuseumofArt.
fromApril6throughAugust22,1999.
TTieexhibitionismadepossiblebynBeARwNyEoYrSk Aalrletihnetchoesctoulmleecstiaonndoil'iTbrhaeryCmoastteruimaelsInisntitthuitse,volume
TheMetropolitanMuseumofArt.
PublishedbyTheMetropolitanMuseumofArt,
NewYork ColorseparationsbyProfessionalGraphics,
Rockford,Illinois
JohnPO'Neill,EditorinChief MntedbyJulioSotoImpresor,S.A.,Madrid
BarbaraCavaliere,Editor BoundbyEncuadernacidnRamos,Madrid
DesignbyMatsumotoIncorporated,NewYork PrintingandbindingcoordinatedbyEdiciones
BarbaraCavaliere,Production ElViso,Madrid
Copyright©TheMetropolitanMuseumofArt, Frontcover:French,Man'sensemble(coatwith
NewYork alternatingcuffs,andwaistcoat)(detail),ca.1765.
Seeoverallviewonp;ige-12.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData:
Backco\cr:DrecoU,RobeenPannierdress,1912.
Martin,Richard(RichardHarrison) Seeoverallviewonpage17andanotherdetail
Ournewclothes;acquisitionsofthe1990s/ onpage8.
RichardMartin
p. cm.
CatalogofanexhibitionheldatThe
MetropolitanMuseumofArt,NewYork,N.Y.,Apr.
fr-Aug.IS22B,N109-9897.099-900-1(alk.paper).—
(NewYIio.SrCBko,NsN0t-uY8m.1)e—0—9-E-x6Eh5xih4bi0ib-ti2itoi(nonsAs.b,r1.a2mM.seCt:oraoslptko.ulmipetaapInenrs)titute
MuseumofArt(NewYork,N.Y)H.Title.
NK4709.M38 1999
746.9'2'074747l—dc21 99-14145
CIP
CONTEMXS 6 ForewordbyPhilippedeMontebello
8 AHistoryofFashion
2a TheWhiteDress
4Q MenofThreerentiiries
48 TheAmericans
60 TheContemporaries
12 TheLibrary
8D Acknowledgments
FOREWORD Withthisexhibition,weareenteringanunusualperiodinTheCostume
Institute.EversinceRichardMartinarrived,itwasclearthatexhibitions
wsuogugledstbieonbso—rnnootfehviesnomwinnef.erRtiilcehamridnidsaanmdosntotdeitnerrmeisnpoendsfeeltloowo.uIttswiadse
thuswithsometrepidationthat,followingaconversationwithcurator
GaryTinterow,Iraisedthepossibilityofacollateralcostumeexhibition
forthisfall'sexhibitionofpaintingsanddrawings"PortraitsbyIngres:
ImageofanEpoch."Inreply,Richardfirstputforward,inhighrhetoric,
ajustificationoftheprizedcuratorialautonomyofhisdepartmentand
thestridesTheCostumeInstitutehadmadeinexhibition,interpretation,
andresearch.ThenRichard,smilingbroadly,indicatedthat,thesethings
havingbeenachieved,itwasnowaperfecttimeforacollaborativeeffort.
AlthoughIwasflushfromthisvictory,itwasstillwithsome
hesitancythat,whenRichardmentionedacancelledexhibition,I
indicateditwouldbeniceifTheCostumeInstitutewould,oneday,like
someothercuratorialdepartments,showrecentacquisitions.Thistime
Richard'sanswerwasimmediateanduncharacteristicallylaconic:"Fine,
we'lldoitthisspring."But,quoderatexpectandum,itwasalsoclearthatthe
exhibitionwouldnotbetreatedasanillustratedinventorybutbegivena
definitecontextthroughasuiteofvignettescomposedofacquisitions
limitedtothepastdecade.
Iampleasedthattwoofmysuggestionsfor1999exhibitionsinThe
CostumeInstitutehavebeenaccepted.Ifurtheracknowledgethat"Our
NewClothes"issuchanastoundingexhibitionbecauseofthemany
generousdonorstoTheCostumeInstitutewhounderstandthatfashionas
alivingartconfersaspecialresponsibilityonanyinstitutionthatprofesses
toaddressandcollectcostumeandfashion.Wemustkeepupwiththis
—
livingartofourtime.Wemustprovideariciier,deeperknowledgeofthe
past,andwemustconcomitantlybuildacollectionforthefiiture.
Itisespeciallysatisfyingtonotethatthisemphasisoncollectinghas
occurredwithnosacrificeinresearchorexhibitionqualityandquantity.
Indeed,RichardMartinhasalreadyorganizednineteenexhibitions
almostalldeeplyrootedinourcollection—sincehistenurebeganin1993.
IammostgratefultoBarneysNewYorkforitsgeneroussponsor-
shipof"OurNewClothes."
RichardMartinisfondofsayingthatTheMetropolitanMuseumof
Arthasbecomeamajorfashioncollectorwithoutbeingafashionvictim.
Formypart,Iampleasedtoacknowledgethemanywearers,makers,and
collectorswhohavehelpedboththecauseofTheMetropolitanMuseum
ofArtandthepossibilitiesincostumeresearch,interpretation,and
expositionbygivingsogenerouslytoTheCostumeInstitute.Theirold
clotheshavebecomeournewclothes.Weshan'twearthem,butwewill
keepthemwiththecovenantofaninstitutionthatisnothinglessthanthe
world'sfinestcollectionofcostume,intentuponcontinuingtobethatand
more,thankstooldandnewclothesandtoourcommitmenttorenderor
keepthemnewthroughideas,research,andexhibition.
PhilippedeMontebello
Director
TheMetropolitanMuseumofArt

2
Unequivocallystated,"AHistoryofFashion"soundsliketheresponsibility
ofalearnedlifetimeorthetitleofaprodigioustome,certainlynotthe
gatheringsofadecade.Butitisevidentherethat,inthepasttenyears,we
havecollectedtheequivalentofasolidsurveyofthehistoryofWestern
dressfrom1700tothepresent.Landmarkpiecesarefoundwhere,despite
theextraordinaryfactthattheycouldstandontheirownasafine
collectionofcostume,theyprovideresonancetothepeerlesscollection
assembledoverfifty-fiveyears.Likethegreatorchestra,acollectionis
composedofindependentgreats;onejustwouldnothaveexpectedthefiiU
orchestrasoamplifiedinstrengthinsorecentatimeperiod.
Purchaseshavebeenespeciallystrongintheeighteenthcentury,a
sentimentalfavoriteofallcostumehistoriansinpartbecauseitiscostume's
firstextensivelydocumentedera,thelongesthistoricalviewthroughextant
objects.Moreover,theobjectsremainarrestinglybeautiful.Itcouldseema
miraclethataneighteenth-centurymantuaisstillinexcellentcondition.
Wearenowveryselectiveinacquiringeighteenth-centurydress.The
collectionsetsahighstandard:wecanacquirebetter,butthereisnopoint
inselectinganythinginferiortowhatwealreadyhave.Thus,theEnglish
robealafrangaise(pp.12-13)wasselectedasaprimeexampleofitskind.
Withallelementscomplete,includingdelicatenettingsandfloss,andinan
extremelyfinestateofpreservation,itcanserveasatextbookexample.Yet,
theivorydamaskrobealafirangaise(shownherein)isirresistiblebecauseit
isanelegantpuzzle,likeaMalevichwhite-on-whitepaintinginarococo
frame.Itisalwaysimportanttoremembertolearnfromobjects,not
AgnesDrecoll textbooks,forthisisamuseum,notareadingroom.(Oneisespecially
RobeenPannierdress(detail),191 awareofthissimpletruthinacredulousfieldsuchascostumehistory.)
Yellowsilktaffetawithblueandcreamstripes,blue Weknowthatwearenotlikelytoreceiveasgiftsfromindividual
velvet,creamembroiderednetandsill<flowers donorsclothingdatingpriorto1912.TheruleofthumbIuseisthat
Purchase,Davenport/Fleisher,IreneLewisohn, individualsarewillingtodonateclothingiftheyrememberamotheror
andIsabelShultsFunds,1998(1998.253.3) grandmotherwearingit.Beyondthatmemory,allishistory.Nosweet
madeleineofremembrancewillreachit.
Seeoverallviewonpage17andanother Wecarefullyputourmodestacquisitionsfundsintocritical
detailonthebackcover. exhibition-worthypiecesthatwillstrengthenourcollectionoverall.Work
onexhibitionsdemonstratesthecollection'sstrengthsandweaknesses.
Exhibitionsoftenshakethetrees.Clothestrees.MadameGresdonations
werepromptedbytheexhibitiondevotedtothedesigner;the"American
Ingenuity"showpromptedquestionssuchas,"IhaveAmericandesigner
dresses.Ijustdidn'tknowyouwereinterested.Areyou?"
Beforeanaddendumofaccessories,weendthischapterwitha
VersacedressthatwasinspiredbytheMetropolitanMuseum'sown
exhibition"TheGloryofByzantium"(1997).Thedesigner,whowasa
habitualvisitortotheMuseum,appliedByzantinecrossesinhisfall1997
couturecollection,asshowninJune1997,daysbeforehismurder.That
December,thisdresswasshownintheexhibition"GianniVersace."In
suchaninstance,oneisawarethatoursisnomereechelonofobjectsbut
amuseum'sextraordinarycapacitytoofferhistoryforpotential
contributiontoacreativefuture.Allthatwepossessisatreasureforus
andevenmoreforthefuture.