Costume Institute (New York, N.Y.)
Dates
- Existence: 1946-
Biography
The Costume Institute began as the Museum of Costume Art, an independent entity formed in 1937 and led by Neighborhood Playhouse founder Irene Lewisohn. In 1946, with the financial support of the fashion industry, the Museum of Costume Art merged with The Metropolitan Museum of Art as The Costume Institute, and in 1959 became a curatorial department. The legendary fashion arbiter Diana Vreeland, who served as special consultant from 1972 until her death in 1989, created a memorable suite of exhibitions, including The World of Balenciaga (1973), The Glory of Russian Costume (1976), and Vanity Fair (1977), galvanizing audiences and setting the standard for costume exhibitions globally.
In 1989, Richard Martin took the helm, with the support of Harold Koda, and began a rotating cycle of thematic exhibitions including Infra-Apparel, Waist Not, The Four Seasons, and Cubism and Fashion. Martin's tenure culminated in Rock Style, the last exhibition before his death in 1999. Mr. Koda, who had previously departed from the Museum, rejoined The Met in 2000 as curator in charge, hiring Andrew Bolton in 2002. Upon Mr. Koda's retirement in January 2016, Mr. Bolton became curator in charge, and in March 2018, upon the endowment of the postion, he was named Wendy Yu Curator in Charge.
The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.
The redesigned Costume Institute space reopened in May 2014, after a two-year renovation, as the Anna Wintour Costume Center with the exhibition Charles James: Beyond Fashion. The complex includes the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Gallery, the main showcase space with a flexible design that lends itself to frequent transformation with video, sound, and wireless technology. The Center also includes the Carl and Iris Barrel Apfel Gallery to orient visitors to The Costume Institute's exhibitions. Behind the scenes is a state-of-the-art costume conservation laboratory; a study/storage facility to house the combined holdings of The Costume Institute and Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection; and The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library, one of the world's foremost fashion libraries.
Found in 8 Collections and/or Records:
American Institute of Architects Foundation, 1979
This folder contains correspondence, invitations, press clippings, donation records and a programs for the Fashion of the Hapsburg Era: Austria-Hungary exhibition held at the Costume Institute.
CFDA Smithsonian Institution Nov 15, 1966, 1966
This folder contains five 8x10 black and white photographs, a copy of the panel discussion at the costume institute, correspondence, show schedules, and invitations.
December 16-17, 1995, 1995
This folder contains the Haute Couture exhibition at the Costume Institute, press releases and black and white photocopies of photos of ensembles by Jeanne Lanvin, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Gianni Versace, Christian Dior, Charles Frederick Worth, and Mainbocher.
December 21-22, 1996, 1996
This folder contains a column on a Dior exhibition at the Costume Institute and black and white photos of Dior dresses on mannequins and black and white photocopies of those photos.
October 11-12, 1997, 1997
This folder contains a column on the Costume Institute and Geoffrey Beene and a photocopy of an ad for a Geoffrey Beene exhibition at Toledo Museum of Art and black and white photos of ensembles by Geoffrey Beene.
Pageant-Party of the Year 1966 sketches
Symposium records, 2009
Includes the papers and presentation delivered at the 2009 Symposium "costume3fashion Designers, Stars, and Muses of the New York Stage." The names of the presenters and the title of their presentations contained in this folder are: Aisling Joe, "Aline Bernstein: Grande Dame of Costume Design and Fashion History;" Alison Castaneda, "Theatrical Truth: The Role of Costume in Staging History." Presenter bios included.