LACMA Acquires Couture Collection Spanning Approximately 130 Years of Fashion History

(Los Angeles-January 8, 2013) The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has significantly added to its twentieth-century fashion collection with the acquisition of 158 examples of fashion by couture designers dating from 1880 to 2008, made possible by dedicated museum supporter Ellen A. Michelson. Nearly fifty major fashion designers are represented in this acquisition, including Cristóbal Balenciaga, Jean Dessès, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Christian Lacroix, Jeanne Lanvin, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Jean Patou, Paul Poiret, and Paco Rabanne. The collection is especially strong in the work of Coco Chanel, Madame Grès, and Madeleine Vionnet—three icons of French fashion whose distinctive creations are of unquestionable artistic merit. LACMA’s holdings of Vionnet have been additionally strengthened by the recent acquisition of the Betty Kirke Pattern Archives of Madeleine Vionnet, a gift of Betty Kirke.

  • Mar 21, 2013
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