PAST EXHIBITIONS
Special-Engagement Exhibition
Barbie®: A Cultural Icon
02/14/2024 to 07/07/2024
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Created by Illusion Projects and Mattel, Inc., Barbie®: A Cultural Icon examines the Barbie brand’s 60+ year history and the doll’s global impact on pop culture. Across six distinct sections, visitors experience more than 250 vintage dolls—including the original Barbie—from the collections of private collector David Porcello and Mattel, life-size fashion designs, exclusive interviews, and narrative sections that consider the style trends, careers, and identities that Barbie has embodied and popularized over the decades.
The major exhibition begins with the Barbie origin story and presents all 22 original ensemble outfits, while subsequent areas consider the influence of the Space Age; the creation of Christie, the first Black doll; the arrival of Ken; and the creation of the Barbie Dreamhouse™. Barbie also appears in the iconic fashions of the 1970s, including Groovy Style, beachwear, and disco-themed designs, while sections on the 1980s and 1990s present a selection of diverse Barbie dolls that represent a range of ethnicities, body types, and careers. The exhibition culminates in the 2000s, spotlighting the continued diversification of characters within the Barbie universe and connecting them to contemporary fashion trends, perspectives, and identities.
In addition to vintage dolls, historical objects, and life-size fashion designs, Barbie®: A Cultural Icon features video interviews with Barbie designers on five custom-made Barbie Dreamhouse TVs and five unique photo opportunities, including a life-size Barbie Mirror-Pink Corvette with which guests can interact.
The exhibition is complemented by original PhxArt exhibitionThe Power of Pink, which is drawn exclusively from the Museum’s expansive fashion-design collection. The Power of Pink explores the history, science, and associations of the color synonymous with the iconic Barbie brand.
Images courtesy of Illusion Projects, Inc. and Mattel Inc. ©2020 Mattel Inc. All rights reserved.
Special-Engagement Exhibition
MOVE: The Modern Cut of Geoffrey Beene
02/01/2023 to 12/03/2023
Located in Ellman Fashion Design Gallery, Harnett Gallery, and Orme Lewis Gallery
MOVE: The Modern Cut of Geoffrey Beene showcases the colorful, imaginative fashions of the late designer, whose dynamic garments prioritized comfort, movement, and a modern sensibility.
generation paper: fast fashion of the 1960s
december 18, 2021 - december 4, 2022
ELLMAN FASHION DESIGN GALLERY & HARNETT GALLERY
Generation Paper: Fast Fashion of the 1960s explores the whimsical and experimental trend of paper garments.
Fashion’s Subversives
June 5 – November 28, 2021
Ellman Fashion Design Gallery & Harnett Gallery
Fashion’s Subversives showcases the daring, revolutionary designs of fashion trailblazers Paco Rabanne, Rudi Gernreich, Geoffrey Beene, Yves St. Laurent, and more.
FEARLESS FASHION: RUDI GERNREICH
April 7 - september 26, 2021
STEELE GALLERY
Fearless Fashion: Rudi Gernreich presents more than 80 gender-fluid, body-positive designs by a ’60s-mod legend who revolutionized perceptions of beauty, gender, and identity.
Collective Inspiration
DECEMBER 12, 2020- MAY 2, 2021
ELLMAN FASHION DESIGN GALLERY
Collective Inspiration pairs fashion objects with paintings, sculptures, and prints to explore how artistic principles can be applied to both fashion designs and more traditionally recognized forms of arts.
India: Fashion’s Muse
February 29 – October 25, 2020
Ellman Fashion Design Gallery and Harnett Gallery
India: Fashion’s Muse will explore western fashion’s centuries-long love affair with the riches of India. Inspiring designers from streetwear to couture, the opulence of India has generated global fashion trends that have outlived empires.
Antonio: The Fine Art of Fashion Illustration
September 21, 2019 – January 5, 2020
Ellman Fashion Design Gallery and Orme Lewis Gallery
Featuring more than 100 original drawings, photographs, and magazines, Antonio: The Fine Art of Fashion Illustration is a multimedia exhibition of ANTONIO, the signature that represented the collaborative creative work of fashion visionaries Antonio Lopez and Juan Ramos. The installation features their artistic, editorial, and commercial work created from the 1960s through the 1980s for publications and retailers such as Vogue, The New York Times Magazine, French Elle, Harper’s Bazaar Italia, L’Uomo Vogue, Vanity, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Bloomingdales.
