Bikini

Designer Rudi Gernreich American, born Austria
1970–71
Not on view

This bikini of brown wool knit with black wool banded edges is an amalgamation of angles. The top is composed of four triangles with all edges traced by wide, flat strips of black knit. The bottom, also traced in black, has additional black bands attached at the low-slung waistline that criss-cross once around the midriff. With this collection, Gernreich pays homage to Georges Rouault (1871–1958), a French Expressionist painter known for bordering his images with thick black lines.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Bikini
  • Designer: Rudi Gernreich (American (born Austria), Vienna 1922–1985 Los Angeles, California)
  • Date: 1970–71
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: wool
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Irene Lewisohn Bequest, 1996
  • Object Number: 1996.118.4a, b
  • Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

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