Phoenix Art Museum Announces ‘Geoffrey Beene: Trapeze’

Geoffrey Beene (1927-2004) was one of America’s most original fashion designers, a true design pioneer that elevated his craft to an art. In this spirit, the Fashion Design Department of Phoenix Art Museum presents Geoffrey Beene: Trapeze, an engaging exhibition with attitude that goes beyond the study of dressmaking into the world of conceptual art. The exhibition will be on view at Phoenix Art Museum from November 7, 2009 through March 7, 2010.
“Geoffrey Beene: Trapeze is drawn from a superb private collection acquired in the 1980s and 1990s, when Mr. Beene was at a creative peak,” commented Dennita Sewell, curator of fashion design, Phoenix Art Museum. “The exhibition, much like Mr. Beene’s life in fashion, is witty and irreverent. It will allow visitors to experience his celebrated designs and philosophies in a striking and stimulating way.”
For 40 years, beginning with the opening of Geoffrey Beene, Inc. in 1963, Beene challenged the American Fashion establishment by creating visionary haute couture for women and superbly tailored styles for men that married comfort and luxury. The winner of eight Coty Awards, three CFDA Awards, and an honorary doctorate from the Rhode Island School of Design, he was deemed an “American Original” by the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Featuring more than 30 garments, Geoffrey Beene: Trapeze profiles the fanciful custom-made wardrobe of Patsy Tarr, a prominent supporter of dance in New York and founder and publisher of the award-winning 2wice magazine.
“No part of a Beene wardrobe was ever out of style; indeed subsequent purchases simply revealed his ideas in more depth. And of course there was the originality, the wit, the materials and lightness,” commented Tarr. “Beene’s clothes were masterly, unusual and rare.”
Exhibition Overview
Geoffrey Beene: Trapeze reveals the mutual love of dance and art shared by Tarr and Beene and how it fostered her highly creative wardrobe. Unlike a retrospective, the exhibition provides unique insight into the creative relationship between designer and client. Featuring one-of-kind garments and unique items, the exhibition clearly expresses the designer’s sense of humor and expertise with fabric. Also present is Beene’s love of flowers, dots, curves, wraps, folds and triangles, reoccurring themes present in several of the designs.
Designed by Abbott Miller, an award-winning partner at New York design firm Pentagram and designer and art director who collaborated with Geoffrey Beene on graphics, books, runway presentations and exhibitions for over 15 years, the installation draws inspiration from Beene’s love of the circus. Surrounded by polka-dots and stripes, specially designed mannequins will be suspended from the ceiling displaying Tarr’s fantastic clothes. In addition, Miller has collaborated with Tarr as art director and designer for more than 20 years on her publications, including 2wice and Geoffrey Beene: A Design Tribute (2wice Arts Foundation, 2005).
Tom Kalin’s film, “30,” commissioned by Beene in 1993, will play on a continuous loop — its film noir surrealism complementing the installation theme.
Exhibition Details
This exhibition is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and is presented in the Kelly Ellman Fashion Design Gallery November 7, 2009 through March 7, 2010.