Foreword

Druick, Douglas; Campbell, Thomas P.; Cogeval, Guy

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Foreword

Douglas Druick and Thomas P. Campbell and Guy Cogeval

Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity

~Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity is the first exhibition to focus on the defining role of fashion in the works of the Impressionists and their contemporaries. Some eighty major figure paintings—shown in concert with period costumes, accessories, fashion plates, photographs, and popular prints—highlight the vital relationship between...

Author

Douglas Druick and Thomas P. Campbell and Guy Cogeval

PublisherArt Institute of Chicago

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-23648

Foreword

Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity is the first exhibition to focus on the defining role of fashion in the works of the Impressionists and their contemporaries. Some eighty major figure paintings—shown in concert with period costumes, accessories, fashion plates, photographs, and popular prints—highlight the vital relationship between fashion and art during the pivotal years from the mid-1860s to the mid-1880s, the period when Paris, as the style capital of the world, provided the inspiration for modern artists.

With the rise of the department store, the advent of ready-made clothing, and the proliferation of fashion magazines, those at the forefront of the avant-garde—from artists such as Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir to writers such as Charles Baudelaire, Stéphane Mallarmé, and Émile Zola—turned a fresh eye to contemporary dress, embracing fashion as the quintessential symbol of modernity. The novelty, vibrancy, and fleeting allure of the latest trends proved seductive for a generation of artists and writers who sought to give expression to the pulse of modern life in all its nuanced richness. Without rivaling the meticulous detail of fashion portraitists like Alfred Stevens and James Tissot or the graphic flair of fashion plates, the Impressionists nonetheless engaged similar strategies in the making (and marketing) of their pictures of stylish men and women who reflect the spirit of the age.

Four years ago Gloria Groom, the David and Mary Winton Green Curator at the Art Institute—encouraged by Douglas Druick, who was then the Searle Curator of Medieval to Modern European Painting and Sculpture at the Art Institute—proposed the concept for this exhibition to Gary Tinterow, then Engelhard Chairman of Nineteenth-Century, Modern, and Contemporary Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and to Guy Cogeval of the Musée d’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie. Both were immediately enthusiastic, seeing an opportunity to present their renowned collections of Impressionist paintings alongside examples of the contemporary fashions that inspired them. From the start, the organizing team has included curators Philippe Thiébaut of the Musée d’Orsay and Susan Alyson Stein of the Metropolitan Museum. We have been extremely fortunate to have been able to rely on the expertise of the curators and staff of the Metropolitan’s Costume Institute in New York and at the Palais Galliera and Musée des arts décoratifs in Paris to guide the selection and handling of costumes for this exhibition. This catalogue was likewise a collaborative effort involving the exhibition team and a host of scholars representing many fields of history—literature, architecture, photography, fashion, and art—whose thoughtful explorations of the confluences of the fashion industry and avant-garde painting in the Impressionist era have provided new lenses through which to appreciate many of the period’s most iconic paintings.

No matter how cogent the curatorial vision, such an undertaking as this would not have been possible without the generosity of our lenders around the world, and to them we express our profound gratitude. Nor would a project of this scope and complexity have been possible without substantial financial support. The Art Institute of Chicago is especially indebted to Alexandra and John Nichols, who expressed immediate interest in this project and pledged major support to underwrite it, and to the generous contributions of JPMorgan Chase and the Auxiliary Board of the Art Institute of Chicago. We are also grateful to Laurie and James Bay and the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, whose contributions have enabled this catalogue to be as sumptuous as it is scholarly. Thanks also to the members of the Exhibitions Trust, who provide generous annual support for exhibition programs in Chicago. We wish to acknowledge the important support provided to The Metropolitan Museum of Art by The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation and the Janice H. Levin Fund, as well as by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. We would also like to thank The Georges Lurcy Charitable and Educational Trust for supporting the educational programming associated with the exhibition in New York. In Paris the exhibition was realized thanks to the support of LVMH/Moët Hennessy. Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior. Finally, in the United States, we are enormously indebted to the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities, whose indemnity has assisted substantially with insurance costs for the two American venues.

Douglas Druick
President and Eloise W. Martin Director
The Art Institute of Chicago

Thomas P. Campbell
Director and Chief Executive Officer
The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Guy Cogeval
President
Musée d’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie

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