|
|
Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years—
Selections from the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum
|
|
|
Jacqueline Kennedy and her sister, Lee Radziwill, during a daytime boat ride on Lake Pichola, Udaipur, India, March 17, 1962. Dress (1962) in apricot silk ziberline by Oleg Cassini (b. France 1913). John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.
|
|
|
More about This Exhibition
To mark the fortieth anniversary of her emergence as America's First Lady, and explore her enduring global influence on style, Jacqueline Kennedy was celebrated at The Metropolitan Museum of Art with an unprecedented special exhibition of her iconic fashions. "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years—Selections from the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum" was presented by The Costume Institute from May 1, 2001 through July 29, 2001.
In announcing the exhibition, Philippe de Montebello, director of the Metropolitan Museum, noted: "It is appropriate indeed that the Metropolitan, an institution with which Jacqueline Kennedy enjoyed profoundly close ties, should celebrate the timeless impact of her extraordinary, unforgettable grace and style. It was Mrs. Kennedy who personally chose the Temple of Dendur, now a centerpiece of the Met's collections, as Egypt's gift to the United States. She was an important part of our institutional life, and it is a great honor to pay tribute to her with this exploration of her impact on the culture of fashion."
The exhibition was made possible by L'Oréal.
Additional support was provided by Condé Nast.
The exhibition was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.
More about the Objects on View
Exhibition Highlights
Special Events
Costume Institute Benefit Gala
Exhibition Publication
Exhibition Organizer
|
| |
|
|
|
More about the Objects on View
The exhibition of some eighty original costumes and accessories came from the collection of the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston, to which the former First Lady donated these landmark pieces after she left the White House. The collection embraces key elements from her formal White House wardrobe—what Mrs. Kennedy herself called her "state clothes"—as well as pieces worn during her husband's 1960 presidential campaign.
Documents and objects associated with Mrs. Kennedy's work on White House restoration, historic preservation, and the arts were exhibited along with the clothes she wore at corresponding events. The exhibition was organized in close collaboration with the Kennedy Library, where it was displayed from September 12, 2001, through February 28, 2002.
View selected images from Jacqueline Kennedy's travel albums and
photographs from her work on White House restoration.
BACK TO TOP
Exhibition Highlights
Highlights of the exhibition included keynote pieces from this period, including the fawn coat and celebrated pillbox hat, worn for the inaugural ceremonies on the steps of the Capitol on January 20, 1961; the regal ivory satin gown worn to the pre-Inaugural gala; the red dress worn for the televised tour of the White House on February 14, 1962; and a large group of formal evening clothes worn at the White House for state dinners, political entertaining, and cultural events.
Learn more about exhibition highlights.
BACK TO TOP
Special Events
A variety of special events were scheduled in conjunction with the exhibition.
BACK TO TOP
Costume Institute Benefit Gala
To mark the occasion, the Museum's renowned Costume Institute Benefit Gala, also known as the Party of the Year, was moved from its traditional December date to Monday, April 23, 2001, to celebrate the opening of the exhibition. Caroline Kennedy, president of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, and her husband Edwin A. Schlossberg, were honorary chairs of the Gala.
Co-chairs of the Gala were: Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, who served as a chair for the fourth time; Lindsay Owen-Jones, Chairman & CEO of L'Oréal S.A. and his wife Cristina; Oscar and Annette de la Renta; and Carolina Herrera. The corporate chairs for the event were Guy Peyrelongue, President & CEO of L'Oréal USA and his wife Lucile.
BACK TO TOP
Exhibition Publication
A book, Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years—Selections from the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, edited by Hamish Bowles with texts by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., and Hamish Bowles, was published in conjunction with the exhibition. Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art with Bulfinch Press (which distributes the hardcover edition to the trade), the 208-page book—also available in paperback in the Museum's bookshops and in the online Met Store—includes more than 150 full-color and black-and-white illustrations, combining documentary and new photography.
BACK TO TOP
Exhibition Organizer
Hamish Bowles, European editor-at-large of Vogue, served as creative consultant to the exhibition. Mr. Bowles took a leave of absence from the magazine to work on mounting the exhibition. Mr. Bowles also edited and contributed to an exhibition catalogue, which was published to coincide with the opening of the show.
Learn more about the exhibition organizer.
BACK TO TOP
|
Back to main page for this exhibition