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More about This Exhibition
The Costume Institute celebrates one of America's most distinguished stylemakers from cinema's golden years with an unprecedented exhibition of works by Hollywood designer Gilbert Adrian. On view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art through August 18, 2002, "Adrian: American Glamour" features a selection of more than 100 designs. The sensational and sometimes provocative costumes worn by such legendary Hollywood actresses as Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, Joan Crawford, and Katharine Hepburn complement the equally glamorous ensembles of his high fashion career. Drawn from the Museum's Costume Institute, The Brooklyn Museum, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others, the exhibition presents a comprehensive look at Adrian's lifetime of work as an artist, a costume designer, and an American couturier.
More about Gilbert Adrian
More about the Objects on View
Exhibition Organizers
Educational Programs
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More about Gilbert Adrian
Gilbert Adrian, known simply as Adrian, epitomized the magic of Hollywood glamour and created a unique and quintessentially American style. He was born in Connecticut in 1903 and began his career as a designer for Broadway musicals. In 1925, he moved from New York City to Los Angeles to work in film, most notably at MGM, until 1941. During the darkest years of the Great Depression, Adrian combined an appreciation for detail in Parisian couture with a distinctive American sensibility and created unforgettable fashions for the big screen. Among his most memorable designs are the bias-cut silk gowns that became Jean Harlow's signature look and Joan Crawford's broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted power suits that pioneered a revolution in the way American women dressed. Other examples from his Hollywood years include the opulent and often seductive ensembles from films such as Mata Hari, Romance, Camille, Marie Antoinette, DinnerT, and The Philadelphia Story. Also on view are hats designed for Greta Garbo in Romance (1930) and Camille (1936), for Jean Harlow in Blonde Bombshell (1933), and for Joan Crawford in The Gorgeous Hussy (1936).
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More about the Objects on View
The exhibition focuses on Gilbert Adrian's career as a high fashion designer in the years from 1942 to 1952 when he had a custom salon in Beverly Hills and a ready-to-wear line in the most exclusive specialty stores of the day. Adrian's fashion designs included his strong-shouldered suits, provocative cocktail dresses, and art-inflected evening gowns. Significantly, contemporary designers such as Azzedine Alaia and Geoffrey Beene admire Adrian for his use of imaginative themes and sophisticated technical constructions, all inflected by his signature wit.
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Exhibition Organizers
"Adrian: American Glamour" was organized by guest curator Jane Trapnell Marino with the support of Harold Koda, curator-in-charge of The Costume Institute. Ms. Trapnell Marino has worked as a costume designer for films and television for more than two decades.
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Educational Programs
The Metropolitan Museum has scheduled a variety of educational programs in conjunction with the exhibition, including films, lectures, and gallery talks. See the online calendar for details.
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