Opening on 7 January 2020 at The Society of Illustrators, NYC is a seminal exhibition curated from the archives of The Frances Neady Collection of Original Fashion Illustration held at the Special Collections of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).
The exhibition presents a graphic record of the evolution of fashion illustration from the 1920s to today providing a vivid cultural & visual reflection of fashion through
aesthetic, cultural, & social shifts.
The exhibition Fashion Illustration: The Visionaries, A Century of Illustrations from the Frances Neady Collection exhibits 65 of the finest examples of fashion illustration that exemplifies technical virtuosity & aesthetic quality when rendered by the masters of the genre.
Each artist has illustrated extensively for leading department stores, magazines & corporations including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Women’s Wear Daily, Town & Country, Luxure Magazine, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, Elizabeth Arden & Tiffany & Co.
Highlights of Fashion Illustration: The Visionaries, A Century of Illustrations from the Frances Neady Collection include Carl (Eric) Erickson’s (1891 - 1959) portrait of the Comtesse de Munoz from 1928; Antonio Lopez’s (1943 - 1987) astounding original work of female aviator Amelia Earhart as a goddess on a swing; Harvey Boyd’s (1942 - 1994) colorful whirlwind of line & pattern for Valentino; René Bouché’s (1905 - 1963) intimate 1944 ink drawing Tatiana et Alex; Gene Lloyd’s ( - ) illuminated & quirky 1958 work depicting a woman in fur coat & conical hat for Harper’s Bazaar; Henry Koehler’s (1927 - 2018) illustration for Town & Country that exemplifies the glamour & élan of New York society in the 1970s with a Mondrianlike sensibility & British artist David Downton’s (1959 -) 2003 portrait of fashion icon Carmen Dell’Orefice for The Telegraph Magazine
Bil Donovan (Chair of the Frances Neady Collection) comments:
“As founder of the Frances Neady Collection the esteemed illustrator, author & educator Rosemary Torre wrote ‘life informs art and, at its best, art informs life’. This is especially relevant in the exhibition Fashion Illustration: The Visionaries, A Century of Illustrations from the Frances Neady Collection.
The exhibition gives us a glimpse into our past & provides a hint of our future with work that embodies grace, spirit, style, & passion”.
Society of Illustrators, 128 E 63rd Street, New York, NY 10065
Opening Hours: Tue: 10am - 8pm | Wed: 10am - 5pm | Thu: 10am - 8pm | Fri: 10am - 5pm | Sat: 11am -
5pm