We finally had a chance to go see the wonderful exhibit Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity.
It is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through May 27, when it moves to the Art Institute of Chicago, which was a co-organizer of the show, in addition to the Musée d’Orsay, in Paris.
In several galleries of paintings, dresses, and historical artifacts, one may explore how the painters in the Avant-garde of the later nineteenth century used non-traditional portraiture and the most cutting edge fashions in a revolutionary movement to promote “la modernité.”
To our twenty-first century eyes, they may appear like scenes from a period drawing room drama, but Monet and his fellows were presenting their women in the skinny jeans of the day.
As a result they were considered both renegades and trendsetters. Few exhibitions bring that home like this one.
I recommend it to everyone. But if you a know any little girls fond of dressing up in pretty frocks, or former little girls for that matter, you should bring them to see the amazing gowns, both in the paintings and the genuine articles displayed in cases throughout the galleries.
Read the Full Review (with links to many of the paintings.)