April 13–September 2, 2024
Dress Up
Martin Parr, Dakar (detail), 2001. Chromogenic print, (Lambda print). Gift of Jesse H. Wilkinson—Jesse H. Wilkinson Fund. © Martin Parr / Magnum Photos.
Henri Cartier-Bresson, Foley’s Department Store, Houston, Texas, USA, 1957. Gelatin silver print. Gift of Charles T. and Alma Isaacs. © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos.
Martin Parr, Dakar (detail), 2001. Chromogenic print, (Lambda print). Gift of Jesse H. Wilkinson—Jesse H. Wilkinson Fund. © Martin Parr / Magnum Photos.
Henri Cartier-Bresson, Foley’s Department Store, Houston, Texas, USA, 1957. Gelatin silver print. Gift of Charles T. and Alma Isaacs. © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos.
“Playing dress up begins at five and never truly ends.”—Kate Spade
Our choice of dress can make a political statement, express a mood, or communicate personal identities. Through more than 100 works from the MFA’s collection including 20th- and 21st-century clothing, jewelry, accessories, illustrations, and photographs, this exhibition explores adornment and its role in the creation of a look.
Jewelry and fashion are given equal attention here; there is no delineation between the two to encourage thinking of jewelry as fashion and fashion as jewelry. Objects with beads, sequins, and sparkle blur the lines between each genre and help visitors consider how and where the two can—and do—intersect.
Gallery Talks at Member Night
During Art in Bloom Member Night on April 27, members are invited to join theo tyson, curator of fashion, for gallery talks in “Dress Up” with special guest Thom Solo, Boston-based artist and shoe designer whose work is featured in the exhibition.
- Henry and Lois Foster Gallery (Gallery 158)
