NORTON MUSEUM OF ART

Picturing French Style: Three Hundred Years of Art and Fashion
Sumptuous paintings, sculpture and fashion from the 1700s to the present day.

February 4-April 27, 2003


West Palm Beach, FL - The special exhibition, Picturing French Style: Three Hundred Years of Art and Fashion celebrates the unique affinity between French art and haute couture (high fashion) between about 1720 and today, with major paintings, sculptures, and costumes lent by museums throughout the United States, such as the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco and Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Exquisite paintings by major artists of the 18th century such as Nicholas Lancret (Watteau’s only pupil of greatness), Joseph-Siffred Duplessis, and Jean-Baptiste Greuze depict with astonishing accuracy and detail the glorious colors and remarkable textures of garments and accessories worn by sophisticated aristocratic women of the courts of Louis XV and Louis XVI.
 

Surrounding these paintings will be exceptionally well-preserved examples of similar dresses, gowns, and robes. Similar juxtapositions in this exhibition demonstrate the influence of art and artists on designers of fashion throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. In the final decades of the 20th century, Yves St. Laurent created his memorable “Mondrian" day dress, the design of which is dependent on the paintings of that artist, while Courrèges drew inspiration for some of his more unique designs from the Op Art movement. Throughout the exhibition there are extraordinary costumes by other leading French couturiers such as “Coco” Chanel. Several examples of her work include the famous cocktail suit commissioned in 1965 by Marlene Dietrich specifically intended to evoke the royal gleam of Persian silks. One of the most spectacular garments in the exhibition is Christian Dior's fantastic Juno ballgown from 1949.
Dr. Roger Ward, the Norton Museum of Art’s Chairman of the Curatorial Department and Curator of European Art, comments, “These paintings, sculptures, and costumes have been selectively chosen for their inherent beauty and the interest they reveal in the evolution, diversity, and occasional eccentricity of French couture.”
“Works by the 18th-century painters Nicholas Lancret and Jean-Baptiste Greuze, for instance, accurately depict the exquisite silks, satins, velvets, and laces used to create gowns for noblewomen;

 

several examples of these gowns are displayed. In our own time, however, Yves Saint Laurent explicitly imitated the paintings of Piet Mondrian to invent his famous "Mondrian" day dress of 1965.”
Dr. Ward continues, “Perhaps the finest of all painters of female costume was Alfred Stevens (1823-1906), a Belgian by birth, whose artistic outlook was "modern" like that of his friend, Edgar Degas, in that he chose to paint from the live model in a domestic interior. His style however, was more literal than that of the Impressionists as is evident in the superb The Porcelain Collector of 1868. The setting could not be more fashionable, even avant-garde, with its assortment of Asian art and artifacts. In addition, the woman's gown would have been considered the latest word in terms of casual elegance thanks to its cut, color, and minimal elaboration with bands of tightly pleated ruffles at the hips and hemline.”
The exhibition will open on Tuesday, February 4 and runs through April 27, 2003. Picturing French Style: Three Hundred Years of Art and Fashion has been adapted for display at the Norton Museum of Art from the original exhibition organized by the Mobile Museum of Art to commemorate the city of Mobile’s Tricentennial in 2002.
A full schedule of informative programs appealing to art and fashion interests has been organized to complement the exhibition. French design legend Hermés will have demonstrations on the art of silk scarf printing from March 29 through April 2, 2003 in the Museum’s West Courtyard.
The Norton Museum of Art is the only venue outside of Mobile for this special exhibition.
Exhibition Credits:
This exhibition was organized by the Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, Alabama and adapted for presentation at the Norton Museum of Art. The national and local presentations of this exhibition are sponsored by Citigroup Private Bank. Additional local support provided in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Local media support provided by The Palm Beach Post, WPTV NewsChannel 5 and Sunny 104.3 FM.
Exhibition Catalogue:
Written by the original Mobile exhibition curator, Jill Berk Jiminez, with essays from leading scholars in the field, Kimberly Chrisman Campbell, When Fashion Became Art; Melissa Leventon, Using Art in Pursuit of Fashion and Sean Ulmer, Addressing the Body: The Union of Contemporary French Art and Fashion. The catalogue also includes entry essays and color illustrations of over 130 masterpieces on loan to the exhibition from museums around the United States, France and Japan. Historical synopses introduce each section, further contextualizing the relationship between French art and fashion.
Scheduled Exhibition Programs:
Exhibition Lecture Series - underwritten by Harriett M. Eckstein
“French Style” in Focus
February 9, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. in the Museum Theater
Slide-illustrated lecture by Dr. Roger Ward, Chairman of the Curatorial Department and Curator of European Art, Norton Museum of Art
Kings, Queens, and Courtesans: Art and Fashion at the Court of Louis XV
March 9, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. in the Museum Theater
Slide-illustrated lecture by art historian Marlene Strauss.
Sunday exhibition lectures are free to members and with paid Museum admission. Due to the success of this program, seating is limited and tickets are required for entrance to the lecture. Tickets are available at the Visitor Services Desk on the day of the program on a first come first served basis.
Special Exhibition Mini-Course
The Norton Museum of Art offers an informative lecture on Picturing French Style. Guest lecturer addresses topics in the history of fashion. The fee is $60 for members, $80 for non-members. For reservations or more information, contact Jerry Dobrick, Associate Curator of Education, at (561) 832-5196, ext. 1132.
The Fine Art of French Fashion
February 24 – 27, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Lecturer: Kristina Haugland, Assistant Curator of Costume and Textiles, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Long acknowledged as the international arbiter of style, France has seen fashions during the past three centuries ranging from aristocratic formality to revolutionary semi-nudity, enormous crinolines and bustles to the little black dress, and the new look to the outrageously avant-garde. This slide lecture series will use works of art, surviving garments, advertisements, cartoons, and literary sources to explore how French fashion is created and how beautifully it reflects society’s changing aesthetics and ideals.
Lecture 1: 18th-century Fashion: From Courtly Splendor to Sans Culottes
Lecture 2: Incroyables to Impressionists: Romantic and Realist Ideals of the 19th Century
Lecture 3: The Art of Haute Couture
Lecture 4: Looking Modern: Fashion in the Twentieth Century and Beyond
Live! at the Norton: French Piano Music
February 16, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Pianist Fedora Horowitz, acclaimed by the New York Times for her virtuosity, will perform a program of French piano music from the 18th to the 20th centuries including works by Rameau, Debussy, Ravel, Faure, and Poulenc.



Docents in the Galleries
Monday through Sunday, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Docents are available in special exhibition galleries to answer questions about the artists and their works.

Exhibition Tours for School Audiences
To schedule school tours at the Norton Museum of Art, call Anne Bentley at (561) 832-5196, ext.1198. A free Teacher’s Orientation to the Picturing French Style exhibition will be held on Monday, February 10, 3:45 – 5:00 p.m.


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The Norton Museum of Art is a major cultural attraction in Florida. The Museum is internationally distinguished for its permanent collection featuring 19th- and 20th-century European, American, Chinese and Contemporary art, Photography, and Works on Paper. View special exhibitions; attend lectures and education programs for children and adults. Shop in the Museum Store and have lunch in the Museum's Café 1451 at the Norton. The Museum is open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays from May through October and on major holidays. General admission is $8 for adults through 2002, $3 for visitors' ages 13-21 through 2002, free for Members and children under 13. Admission to the permanent collection is free on Saturdays for Palm Beach County residents, upon proof of residency (photo ID with Palm Beach County address required). An additional charge may apply for special exhibitions. For general information, please call (561) 832-5196 or visit www.norton.org.


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