Moore, Gene, 1910-1998 (1910-1998)
Dates
- Existence: 1910-1998
Biography
Gene Moore (1910 – November 23, 1998) was a leading window dresser of the 20th century. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, he moved to New York City in the 1930s. In 1955 he joined Tiffany's on Fifth Avenue. By that time he had spent 20 years making a name for himself as a Fifth Avenue innovator, first at the I. Miller shoe store chain, then at Bergdorf Goodman and its Delman shoe division and later at Bonwit Teller. He remained with Tiffany's for the remainder of his career. He retired at 84, as vice-president for window-display. Working at Tiffany's, Moore designed approximately 5,000 windows, many of which featured his collection of stuffed hummingbirds. He was also noted for using concepts or actual works of modern art in his windows, including those of Jasper Johns, Alexander Ney and Andy Warhol. Some of his designs were photographed by Edgar de Evia.
Moore used Ney's works in his windows more than any other contemporary artist, commenting to Liz Smith in 1990, "He's quite simply the most talented artist whose work I've ever put in my windows." At a time when the theory of window display was to cram in as many mannequins displaying as much merchandise as possible, Mr. Moore created interest simply by clearing away the clutter and limiting a single window to one or two mannequins, but always in such a startling pose or situation that they were sure to draw attention. During his life Moore was honoured several times for his work, receiving tributes from the Illuminating Engineering Society and the Inspirational Academy of Zurich, amongst others. Since 1990 Lighting Services Inc. has made an annual presentation of the Gene Moore Lighting Awards to honor his memory.
He wrote a book about his life and window-dressing experiences, My Time at Tiffany's, with Jay Hyams; it was published in 1990. In addition to his work at Tiffany's, Moore designed sets and costumes for the Paul Taylor Dance Company.