ABOUT THE INSTALLATION
Phoenix Art Museum is one of few art institutions in the United States that continually collects, preserves, and exhibits works of fashion. The Museum began collecting fashion in 1966, when Arizona Costume Institute was founded to support the acquisition and preservation of garments and accessories of historical and aesthetic significance. Today, the PhxArt fashion collection houses more than 9,000 objects of women’s, men’s, and children’s dress spanning the 18th century through the present and is home to three special archives, including the Geoffrey Beene Archive, the Emphatics Archive, and the Ann Bonfoey Taylor Archive.
Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, “Motocross” Jacket, Pants, Sneakers, and Shirt, spring/summer 2002. Cotton and polyamide; canvas, rubber and leather. Gift of Mrs. Kelly Ellman. Installation view of The Collection: Greatest Fits (Vol. 1): The Art of Archiving Fashion, 2024. Phoenix Art Museum. Photo: Airi Katsuta
Greatest Fits is an ongoing, multi-year series that showcases the depth of the Museum’s fashion holdings. With more than 80 garments and accessories, Greatest Fits (Vol. 1): The Art of Archiving Fashion begins the series by tracing the evolution of the Museum’s collection from its founding in 1966 to the present day. The installation features archival works and early fashion acquisitions that highlight the impact of Arizona Costume Institute on the collection’s formation, while a graphic display of more than 20 all-black silhouettes visually represents defining moments in fashion history from the 18th century to contemporary times.
The exhibition also highlights vignettes of significant fashion “happenings” and themes, such as the Battle at Versailles, a high-fashion showdown between American and French designers in 1973; outstanding examples of avant-garde fashions; garments that draw inspiration from Romanticism and Greco-Roman culture; and technology-driven designs. Notable designers and houses represented include Fortuny, Schiaparelli, Dior, Balenciaga, McQueen, among others.
EXHIBITION SPONSORS
The Collection: Greatest Fits (Vol. 1): The Art of Archiving Fashion is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design at Phoenix Art Museum, with Catherine Wise, the Hirabayashi Intern in Fashion Design, and Summer Rye, intern.
It is presented through the generous support of Thomas Carlton Rogers II, Jacquie and Bennett Dorrance, the Kelly and Steve Ellman Fashion Endowment Fund, and Arizona Costume Institute.
All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
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Phoenix Art Museum receives major gift to expand dedicated fashion galleries and debut fashion exhibition series Phoenix Art Museum mounts major exhibition highlighting the history and strengths of the PhxArt fashion collection
Featuring more than 20,000 objects, the collection spans the globe, bringing the world to our city, and our city to the world.
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EXHIBITIONS
On view for a limited time, exhibitions present art from across the centuries and the globe, from iconic fashion to Old Master paintings, contemporary photography to historical objects of Asia.
MORECOLLECTIONS
Featuring more than 20,000 objects, the collection spans the globe, bringing the world to our city, and our city to the world.
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