Exhibition - The Creative Adventurer

A Complete Guide to the MET Heavenly Bodies Exhibition at the Cloisters New York City

The Creative Adventurer — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 22:46:42 +0000

Last weekend I had the pleasure of exploring the MET’s Heavenly Bodies Exhibit. The Costume Institute’s 2018 collection is on display in New York City. This is the MET’s largest exhibit to date. So large that it takes place at both the MET 5th Avenue and the MET Cloisters, north of Manhattan. If you’ve never had the chance to explore the Cloisters, this exhibition is a great excuse to make your way up there. Seeing both spaces is vital to understanding the exhibition as a whole thought.

What is Heavenly Bodies

Heavenly Bodies explores “fashion’s ongoing engagement with the devotional practices and traditions of Catholicism.” It investigates the influence that religion has had on the cultural imagination and how it directly impacted the visions of fashion designers. Throughout the exhibition, there is no audio guide or a detailed map to direct you toward a starting or finishing point. I’ve created my own guided tour to help you discover what you’ll see where. I’ve broken this guide up into three different parts. To read up on the other two exhibition parts, click the following links: MET Vatican Collection | MET 5th Avenue.

Access and Admission

General admission to the museum is $25 for adults, $17 for seniors, and $12 for students. Your admission includes all the exhibitions and is valid for three consecutive days. This includes Met Fifth Avenue, the Met Breuer, and Met Cloisters. So if you’re planning on attending both the MET 5th Avenue and the Cloisters, just keep your sticker and receipt. That way you won’t have to pay again as long as you go within three days. You can buy your tickets online if you don’t want to wait in line when you get to the museum. Recommended during these popular exhibits.

Hours

The MET Cloisters is open seven days a week. Sunday–Thursday: 10 am–5:15 pm and Friday and Saturday: 10 am–9 pm. The best way to get to the Cloisters is to take the A train to 190th Street Subway Station. From the station, it is a beautiful walk through Fort Tryon Park. The park is a peaceful oasis from the busy city and provides stunning views of the Hudson River. The signage for the Met Cloisters is a bit sporadic but keep walking north, and you’ll reach it eventually.

Curator Andrew Bolton

Part of the journey to the Met Cloisters adds to the feeling of pilgrimage. Curator Andrew Bolton thought was a key part of the exhibition design. A pilgrimage “is a journey of spiritual significance, typically to a shrine or other location of importance to a person’s beliefs and faith.” For many, fashion is as spiritual as religion is for others. It allows them to express their creativity, their passions and their joy.

The Heavenly Bodies collection at the Cloisters focuses on faith’s quiet, reflective nature. The outfits are more complicated, require more thought and observation. And due to the remote location, allow you to have a more personal experience with the objects. Since the journey to the Cloisters isn’t short, fewer people seem to make their way out here. So your viewing will be much less crowded than perhaps at Met 5th Avenue.

About the MET Cloisters

What many might not know about the Met Cloisters is that it is not simply just an old building in the middle of New York but pieces of ancient medieval monasteries, brought stone by stone to the United States, where they were fitted together in a jigsaw-like fashion, to create this patchwork quilt of a structure. George Grey Barnard, an American studying in Europe in the 1900s, made a living buying and selling medieval treasures which unknowing landowners found on their farms.

But the discovery and beauty of these treasures became an addiction for Barnard. And as he made more and more money, he would find himself buying objects for his own collection instead of just selling them all off. When he returned to the United States before WWII, he brought dozens of medieval relics. Barnard bought a piece of land on the northern tip of Manhattan and turned his personal collection into a museum. He aimed to teach Americans the importance and beauty of Medieval European art. He called his church-like building George Grey Barnard’s Cloisters.

The Rockefellers

The Rockefellers bought the Cloisters in 1924 when Barnard was forced to sell, but the Rockefellers were devoted to preserving and expanding the collection. They bought an additional 66 acres of the parkland and added their medieval architectural collectibles to the expansion. Architects were brought on to rebuild a large and more refined version of Barnard’s church.

Their concept was a Neo-Gothic structure, each room masterfully thought out to a house within the walls, floors and ceiling, pieces from the collection. As such, the Cloisters feel like a monastic shrine, a place for contemplation full of rich histories. Even if the histories are from various places, they all come together to create this diving gem. In this majestic setting, you can better understand how influential the drama and iconography of the church would have been for designers and how they were inspired by these works of art to create their own.

Romanesque Hall

While there is no set path for the exhibition, I suggest you start in the Romanesque Hall and follow the guide which follows. I almost missed a few rooms, so by following this guide. Hopefully, you won’t make the same mistake. The Romanesque Hall features large 12th-century frescoes from Spain and a 13th-century stone doorway from Moutiers-Saint-Jean in Burgundy. The dazzling dress by Viktor & Rolf from their Russian Doll collection is framed in front of the stone doorway. As an opening piece, this dress is dazzling. She shines amongst the flat stones surrounding her, covered in thousands of Swarovski crystals.

On either side of the Victor and Rolf dress are two 12th-century wooden sculptures of the Virgin Mary. In either sculpture, we see the Christ child sitting on the Throne of Wisdom. These two sculptures haven’t been displayed together for hundreds of years, so it was special to see them together again. Despite being carved by different artists in different cities, their design is almost identical. The Throne of Wisdom is a symbol of how Mary made Christ incarnate, and without her, this child couldn’t have come into the world and given humanity the gift of wisdom.

Victor and Rolf

These sculptures are wonderful examples of how in the 12th century, the “cult of the Virgin Mary” began to develop. The Cult of the Virgin worshiped Mary in a way only God and Jesus had been worshipped. Sculptures were made of her and adorned with costumes and votives. In the fashion show featuring this dress, Victor and Rolf adorned their one model with layer upon layer of garments of incredibly lavish clothing. Like a reverse Russian doll. Each layer is more elegant and embellished than the next. In adorning her, the clothing acted like a physical form of devotion to their muse.

Fuentidueña Chapel

Directly through the doors to the right of the Romanesque Hall is the Fuentidueña Chapel. The Fuentidueña Chapel is made from over three thousand limestone blocks from Spain, which form a half-domed apse. Upon the ceiling of the apse is a Catalan fresco of the adoration of the Magi. Hanging down from the ceiling is a 12th-century wooden crucifix. Staring up a the crucifix, her hands folded tenderly in front of her, is a mannequin wearing a simple, white Balenciaga gown from 1967. This room is dedicated to garments inspired or made for the baptism. The idea of rebirth is very powerful, whether in a religious or secular context.

The gown by Balenciaga is so clean-cut, and despite being located in this medieval chapel, it feels very modern. The gown is set on its own, not amongst the other groupings, highlighted by the light flowing through the stained glass windows. By separating this dress from the rest, the idea of it representing a person’s devotion to only singular holy light becomes all the evidence.

Karl Lagerdelf & Chanel

The other dresses along the walls are designed by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel. They were inspired by gowns girls wore in France for their first communion. A large stone baptismal font from the 1100s is placed within the room to give some context to these outfits, and from afar, it looks almost like a baptismal scene. The fabrics which make up each outfit are pure white, mostly made of cotton, the simplest of fabrics. While not embellished or particularly eye-catching, these refined, plain garments still radiate so much energy. The idea of goodness is represented so powerfully here.

Saint-Guilhem Cloister

From the chapel, step out into the Saint-Guilhem Cloister. This cloister is located inside under a glass roof. The architectural elements in the room are made up of over 140 fragments of the Benedictine Abbey of St.-Guilhem-le-Désert in France. But what is a “Cloister,” you ask? A Cloister is a covered walkway or gallery with a central open-air garden. It is the central place of daily monastic life, where monks and nuns come to pray, reflect on their daily devotions and enjoy the splendours of god’s natural creations. The fashions displayed are presented on tall plinths which reach up almost to the ceiling. As if these holy-inspired outfits were launching themselves up to heaven.

Valentino

The two garments on these plinths are inspired by the shape of classical monastic buildings. The Valentino outfit with velvet embellishments was inspired by the Romanesque arches of the Colosseum in Rome. Increasingly larger and larger arches descend the length of the garment. The claps which hold the cape together are made from a golden abstraction of the image of Christ on the cross.

The second dressed mannequin wears a remarkable black cape and tunic covered in gold embroidered stars. These stars were inspired by Byzantine images of Mother Mary. She was robed in a bright blue cape covered with golden stars in these portrayals. Stars are the symbol of Mary’s eventual reign in heaven. The crown covered in stars added to the outfit is also slightly reminiscent of the crown of thorns. The garments are very severe, the black fabric feeling all-encompassing. They don’t allow you to think of anything else, much like monastic meditations, which would have been practised in Cloister spaces.

Langon Chapel

From here, we duct back into the Romasnques Hall and head straight into the Langon Chapel. The Langon Chapel is named for the seven Romanesque capitals from Notre-Dame-du-Bourg chapel in Langon, France, which decorates the central arch. Staring down out at you from the capitals are the faces of various saints and angels. This scene in the chapel is meant to evoke the sacrament of Matrimony. This room houses one singular gown, a wedding gown designed for the House of Dior by Marc Bohan.

The dress was made from one piece of fabric and was supposedly made using only two seams. In reality, there were actually four, but the myth is often more interesting than the truth. The use of so few seams is very symbolic since the garment Christ wore during his Crucifixion was made with one single seam. Bohan named the dress Hyménée, after Hymen, the Hellenistic god of marriage. The dress hides the face of the model with a large white veil, which resembles a nun’s habit. Nuns pledge themselves in marriage to the divine instead of another person, so using them as inspiration for this wedding gown is a perfect union.

Pontaut Chapter House

From the Langon chapel, head outside into the Pontaut Chapter House. The stone benches surrounding this outside portal are from a Cistercian monastery and date back to 1151. The Chapter House is where monks would have their daily meetings, sit, pray, or meditate. The Heavenly Bodies exhibit is taken outdoors here and places the fashions inside glass cases. This makes the garments look like they are almost set into the natural elements.

The garments in this museum area are all inspired by various religious orders. The monastic inspirations can be seen in the garments’ simplicity and their monochromatic colour pallet. Colour is used in religious orders to differentiate the communities. Brown is associated with the Franciscans. White is worn by the Augustinians, and Black is associated with the Dominicans.

Clair McCardell

Claire McCardell was a designer who donned the term “monastic” for her collection, referring to any garment without a waistline which could be belted as the wearer desired. A few of her original dresses from this collection can be seen in the glass cases outside. While the glare from the sun during certain times of the day can be a bit difficult to see inside the case, it makes the viewer work harder to study the seemingly simple outfits. While they may appear very plain, the work and precision used to create something this perfect is sometimes more involved than the flashy dresses you saw at the Met 5th Avenue. The seamstresses have an almost meditative mindset. They get to ensure each stitch is as precise as a machine.

Cuxa Cloister

You are now standing in the central Cuxa Cloister. The Cuxa Cloister is the open-air courtyard that was the religious order’s nucleus. It is not only where they met but also where they grew herbs and flowers for the community they supported. The monks and nuns not only acted as religious teachers but were also healers and helpers. They would grow food for the poor who couldn’t afford to feed themselves and mend the wounds of the sick and injured.

Rick Owens

Two of the most controversial pieces in the exhibition are located outside the covered walkway of the Cloisters. These are by designer Rick Owens, and while from afar, they might look like a modernized version of monks’ soutanes, up close, you can see one large glaring difference. In the centre of their pants is a large “peephole.” He was inspired by the drunken monk stereotype from the Canterbury Tales. Owen was trying to make a statement about man’s naughty side and a slight commentary on how inappropriate actions could be forgiven by god. Despite being a piece from a 2015 collection, it is stirringly appropriate today.

Early Gothic Hall

From the exterior Cloisters, head back inside to the Early Gothic Hall. The Early Gothic Hall houses work from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, but the Heavenly Bodies Exhibit focuses once more on the Cult of the Virgin and combines stained glass and wood carvings of the Virgin Mary with gowns inspired by her as well.

Jean Paul Gautier

Along the walls, to the west, you can view gothic stained-glass panels from various English and French cathedrals. Stained glass was of the utmost importance during the Gothic era. It was bright and colourful yet also allowed light to flow into the church without diluting or obscuring. This was symbolic of Mary giving birth to Jesus while remaining a Virgin. Standing in front of the medieval stained glass is a dress by Jean Paul Gautier titled Lumière. It features a stained glass pattern of the Virgin Mary. A shawl draped over her shoulder was designed in the shape of the baby Jesus, giving the effect of her carrying the child in her arms. The details in the stained glass and leading are so realistic from afar that you might mistake it for a real stretch of glass, not a piece of fabric.

The other two dresses in this gallery are also by Gautier, from his “les Vierges” (the Virgins) collection, which focused on the Blessed Virgin Mary and the iconography, which has always been a focus of her devotions. When paintings, sculptures or statues were created of the Virgin Mary, they almost always featured one or all of these four iconic elements; a veil, the immaculate or sacred heart, a halo and the use of the colour blue, specifically lapis lazuli.

Virgin Mary Fashion

The blue draping fabrics on both dresses are mirrored in the medieval wooden sculptures of the Virgin Mary. Each of the dresses is also detailed with a red heart. There are so many levels of symbolism in the Immaculate Heart; it is one of my favourite images in Christian symbology. The heart being visible outside Mary’s body symbolizes her undying love for the people, so powerful that her heart cannot be contained. A row of roses surrounds the heart; roses symbolize purity relating to her immaculate conception. Finally, the heart is pierced by a sword symbolizing her eternal sorrow for the child she lost. Whether you are religious or not, there is certainly something deeply moving about a mother’s pain for the loss of her child.

Gothic Chapel

From the Early Gothic Hall, we head downstairs towards the Gothic Chapel. This reconstruction is a modern interpretation of a European Gothic Chapel. Luminous Austrian stained glass climbs up towards the pointed arch ceiling. Four wooden statuaries stand in prayer below. Two of them feature a small, wonderfully detailed wooden awning. Placed throughout the room are seven mid-thirteenth and fourteenth-century tombs.

Gareth Pugh

On opposite sides of the chapel, we can see the fourteenth-century tombs of two Catalan counts of Urgell. These knights were members of the royal family who participated in the Holy Crusades. The crusades were a series of religious wars sanctioned to recover the Holy Land from Muslim rule. Going on a crusade was thought to redeem your soul if you feared you carried with you any sin. One of these knights was fabled to have brought back a relic of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. The figures of these holy knights are perfectly juxtaposed with dresses by Gareth Pugh and Olivier Theyskens which are found on high plinths, whose mannequins look down over their fallen comrades. These garments were designed all black but emblazoned with crosses across their bodies.

Galliano

In the centre of the room are three figures lying in repose. Two are the armoured gisant (a recumbent sculpture of a deceased person shown usually with arms crossed over the chest) knights of the d’Alluye family. The outfits they are wearing for eternity, carved here in stone, are the pieces of armour and clothing they would have worn daily. Garments from this period are extremely hard to come by since most were not properly preserved and have not aged well with the ravages of time. But here, these stone versions are a spectacular example fashion of the time, and every little detail and embroidery is crystal clear in this dark stone.

In the centre of the medieval stones is an incredible piece by John Galliano. This dress was designed to look like a suit of armour, with fabrics layered to appear as plate mail. On one sleeve, she dons an enormous metal armour, giving the impression of Joan of Arc. Her headpiece is made of crystals, sewn into malleable metals, in the shape of three crowning dragons. In medieval times dragon was symbolic of independence, leadership and strength and, therefore, often important to ancient military iconography.

The Glass Gallery

Continuing on through the Basement level, we walk into the Glass Gallery. The Glass Gallery features a row of the fifteenth and sixteenth-century silver stained glass lancet windows which look out into Bonnefont Cloister. Since this room looks out into the gardens, all pieces here are inspired by the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden is one of those stories that, even if you’ve never been to church, you know that story. It has high drama and is wickedly visual and, as such, is a point of inspiration for many designers, even the secular ones.

The first dress you’re greeted by right as you walk in the doors is a dramatic dress by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli for Valentino. The dress was inspired by a medieval painting by Lucas Cranach, the Elders of the Garden of Eden. Meticulous embroidery brings the iconic scene alive. It feels so delicate and otherworldly. The embroidery featured here reminds us of some of the incredible embroideries we saw in the Vatican collection at the 5th avenue location. How those nuns created scenes from the bible to inspire the congregation in church, Chiuri and Piccioli have created that same kind of magical inspiration for their public.

Christian Dior

Along the length of the glass gallery are a series of trees and hidden amongst them are various dresses by Jun Takahashi and Raf Simon for Christian Dior. Each of these dresses is created using a scene from Hieronymous Bosch’s triptych, ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights.’ Takahashi and Simon transformed these brilliant paintings into lush and dynamic patterns, complimenting them with modern cuts and striking ornaments. Bosch’s triptych is one of the most iconic and powerful depictions of Eden, and its imagery is so dense and sumptuous that it easily lends itself well to printed patterns.

The Garden of Eden

At the end of the row of trees stands one singular dress encased in glass. The dress is made with thousands of gold threads and formed into the shape of wheat, which springs forth from the dress. Wheat is an incredibly important element in Christian symbology. Wheat is the ingredient from which the bread and body of Christ are made; therefore, wheat is often used to symbolize Jesus. As wheat is another natural element from the garden, it fits nicely with the Eden-inspired dresses.

The Treasury

The next room we enter is the Treasury. The Treasury features ancient illuminated manuscripts, prayer books, various reliquaries and precious metalwork objects from the eleventh through the fifteenth century. Often, rich patrons of the church would donate money to have works of art created for the church’s Treasury. It was a way for them to, in a sense, atone for their sins by funding beauty for the church. Artists were given huge sums of money to create goblets, vestments, books and more. Today, modern artists are just as inspired by these pieces as the public was when they were first created in medieval times. At the door to the Treasury, you are greeted by this huge and layered blood-red gown. Across the skirt of the gown are painted letters and words. She looks like one of the old illuminated manuscripts come to life.

Secular Garments

The fashions featured in the Treasury are combinations of secular garments and items designed for use in the modern-day church. A dress by Dior features a chalice made from layers of lace woven onto the bodice. The lace was used to mimic the incredibly ornate medieval chalices featured in the Treasury. A cope created for World Youth Day is located in a case nearby, decorated with a rainbow of crosses and golden embroidery. This modern design is a stark contrast to medieval treasures, but the colourful designs reflect the bright jewels inside the various pieces.

Inside the woodcarvings room, in a glass case, is the silver crown of thorns designed by Shaun Leane, a master goldsmith and metalworker for Alexander McQueen. Metal artisans were seminal to the ecclesiastical artistry of the medieval era. They transformed pieces of iron, silver and gold into otherworldly works of art. And the partnership between McQueen and Leane was similarly transforming in the early 2000s.

Bonnefont Cloister

Before heading back upstairs to the rest of the exhibition, take a moment to explore the Bonnefont Cloister. Even though they do not house pieces from the Heavenly Bodies Exhibition, it is still a gorgeous place to explore. From here, you can look over to Fort Tryon Park and the Hudson River. The name of these Cloisters comes from the plant-inspired capitals used throughout, which are from a monastery in Bonnefont-en-Comminges in France. Walk amongst the multitude of growing flora. These medieval plants were all used by nuns and monks to create medicine, food and materials for artists who worked for the church.

Boppard Room

Taking the staircase opposite the Treasury, we return upstairs into the Boppard Room. The Boppard Room’s dazzling feature is the six tall stained-glass windows which the name is the room is named after. They were recovered from a Carmelite church in Boppard, France. The glass dates all the way back to 1440. In the centre of the trio of glass windows on the left, we can see the gleaming blue lapis lazuli robe of the Virgin Mary patterned with golden bouquets of wheat. As mentioned before, wheat symbolizes the body of Christ, but when worn by the Virgin Mary, the wheat symbolizes her nourishment of humankind and god’s bounty. Inside a glass case opposite the stained glass is a Chanel gown made of silk tulle with embroidered wheat sown into the design, reflecting the design from almost 400 years prior.

Philip Treacy

Sitting in front of the medieval reliquary from the Netherlands, featuring various busts of female saints, are two curved straw hats by milliner Philip Treacy. Treacy was inspired by a wimple featured on the television show “The Flying Nun.” Wimples were medieval headdresses made from a large piece of cloth worn around the neck and chin and covering the top of the head. Despite having so much movement in the design, the hats are almost weightless, like the wings of an angel.

Unicorn Tapestries Room

From the Boppard Room, we head into the iconic Unicorn Tapestries room. The Unicorn Tapestries, specifically the collection’s final piece, is perhaps the most well-known image from the Met Cloisters. Inside this rather small and quiet room are seven wall-sized tapestries depicting the story of “The Hunt of the Unicorn.” While the tapestries have faded over time, the details woven in the imagery are still magnificent. Flora and fauna, mythical beasts and costuming of the lords and ladies inside these intricate tapestries give us a glimpse into the life of these medievals royals.

The titular piece in the collection is that of the unicorn inside a circular pen, pomegranate juice dripping down from a tree onto the pure white beast. In Christian symbology, pomegranates are an important representation of Christ’s resurrection. Religious scholars have compared the unicorn to Christ himself and the pomegranates juice on the unicorns back to a form of stigmata. In some scenes, you can even see the unicorn with a crown of thorns around its head. Secular interpretations correlate the piece more towards the bond of marriage. The circular cage represents the wedding ring, and the pure white unicorn symbolizes virginity before the marriage.

Thom Browne

In the centre of the room is a brilliant white wedding dress designed by Thom Browne. Embroidered onto the dress is the image of a unicorn in gold thread. I was accompanied by a life-size unicorn puppet when I walked down the runway. Walk around the dress to see the red threads coming out of the animal’s back, corresponding to the drops of red pomegranate juice from the tapestry. Since it is a wedding dress, the red has also been interpreted as a symbol of fertility.

Nine Heroes Tapestry Room

From the Unicorn tapestries, we walk into the Nine heroes tapestry room. The nine heroes tapestry is the oldest in the Met’s collection. It features the figures of nine heroes, both fictional and historical. These knights’ tales taught people valuable life lessons and attitudes to model their behaviour after. It was meant to be inspirational for the prince for whom the artwork was made. Inspired by the densely woven fabrics worn by warrior monks, Craig Green created a menswear collection drawn from the imagery of crusading knights. The garment was made from hundreds of woven materials, most of them resembling Islamic prayer mats.

Merode Room

Head back outside to enter the Merode Room. This room features the Annunciation Triptych by the workshop of Robert Campin. This piece was created as private devotion for its donor, and the rest of the room reflects this idea of prayer in private spaces. In the centre of the painting is an image of the Virgin Mary, enrobed in red velvet. This design mimics the dress by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli for Valentino standing in the corner of the room. The sleeves of the dress were made to look like the wings of an angel, which were even quilted to look like feathers.

Late Gothic Hall

The final room on tour is the Late Gothic Hall. It is the largest gallery in the Cloisters and features the most modern (well, modern for gothic art, I suppose) pieces in the collection. They range from the later fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries and are mostly artworks dismantled from larger altarpieces which were once the central focus of these gothic churches.

A striking golden dress in the centre of the room immediately draws your eye. The mannequin stands in front of an old golden altarpiece from Spain featuring images of the Virgin Mary. This dress was designed by Dolce and Gabbana for a devotional sculpture in the church. The dress was also inspired by the MET’s painting of Our Lady of Guaopulo. Our Lady of Guapulo is always dressed in bright gold, her incredible spirit glowing against the darkness.

Alexander McQueen

Many of the dresses on display are by Alexander McQueen. McQueen drew huge amounts of inspiration from religion. He loved medieval and gothic religious art, the way they used colour and drama, much like his designs, to evoke emotions and stir the soul. Early Netherlandish paintings were especially incredibly powerful, both for better and worse.

The collection he created before his death, Angels and Demons, focused on this subject matter. High on a plinth along the wall, we can see one of McQueen’s dresses printed with a panel from a triptych of the Last Judgment by German painter Hans Memling. It portrays Saint Michael sending the dead’s souls to heaven or hell. McQueen was always drawn to the darker side of religious art and liked how it didn’t shy away from the sins humans are prone to. But all the while also representing how Christ and the angels are here to help humankind rid themselves of the darkness and bring them into the light.

Hieronymous Bosch

Hieronymous Bosch, which we previously saw used in the Garden of Eden room, is once more used by McQueen, but this time, the focus of the inspiration is on The Last Judgment, and the imagery is darker and more ominous.

Along the wall, we see two pieces facing one other. One is a gothic stone angel, the other a dress by John Galliano from his Fallen Angels collection. His angels were ones whose wings had been clipped. He was inspired by classical dress shapes and Greecian fabrics. The way the drapery was created resembles the stone figure so strongly that it seems like Galliano has brought it to life here.

This brings us to the end of the exhibition. There is so much to see, but since the exhibition is running into October, there is plenty of time to go back, study your favourite pieces more precisely, or even get lost in the peaceful serenity of the Cloisters.

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Discover the Ethereal Beauty of the MET Heavenly Bodies Exhibition

The Creative Adventurer — Fri, 27 Jul 2018 01:20:25 +0000

Last weekend I had the pleasure of exploring the MET’s Heavenly Bodies Exhibit. It is the Costume Institute’s 2018 collection on display in New York City. This is the MET’s largest exhibit to date, so large that it takes place at both the MET 5th Avenue and the MET Cloisters. If you’ve never had the chance to explore the Cloisters, this exhibition is a great excuse to make your way up there. I think seeing both spaces is vital to understanding the exhibition as a whole thought.

Access and Admission

The MET is open seven days a week. Sunday–Thursday: 10 am–5:30 pm and Friday and Saturday: 10 am–9 pm. To get to the MET the best way unless you’re within walking distance is to take the subway. The subway in New York is super easy to navigate and since there’s pretty much traffic 24/7 it’s much better than a taxi. The closest stations to the MET are 86 St, 77 St or 81 Street-Museum of Natural History Station.

General admission to the museum is $25 for adults; $17 for seniors; $12 for students. Your admission includes all the exhibitions and is valid for three consecutive days. It includes the Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters. So if you’re planning on attending both the MET 5th avenue and the Cloisters just keep your sticker and receipt. That way you won’t have to pay again as long as you go within three days. You can buy your tickets online if you don’t want to wait in line. Highly recommended during these big-ticket exhibits.

About Heavenly Bodies

Heavenly Bodies explores “fashion’s ongoing engagement with the devotional practices and traditions of Catholicism.” It investigates the influence that religion has had on the cultural imagination. As well as the ways in which it directly impacted the visions of fashion designers. Throughout the exhibition, there is no audio guide or a detailed map to direct you. I’ve created my own guided tour to help you discover what you’ll see where. I’ve broken this guide up into three different parts, to read up on the other two parts of the exhibition, click the following links: MET Vatican Collection | MET Cloisters.

Byzantine Galleries

After viewing the Vatican Collection, head back upstairs to the Byzantine Gallery. The Byzantine Galleries focus on designers who were influenced by Sacred Spaces; the interior of Cathedrals and churches, and who brought elements from those spaces into the garments. The dresses are paired with fragments of floor mosaics from the 5th century as well as pieces of Byzantine jewellery and silverware. The mannequins each stand high aloft of tall plinths. The dresses are still clearly visible and yet are somewhat separated from the historical art along the walls.

The above Dolce & Gabbana collection was inspired by the brightly coloured tile mosaics found in the Cathedral of Monreale in Sicily. Some of the mosaics in the Cathedral date as far back as 547 AD. Portraits of iconic people from the Bible make up the mosaics on the dresses surrounded by large gemstones, allowing it to sparkle under the lights. The job of an architect when creating a cathedral was to create heaven on earth. The same kind of concept appears here in fashion. Gold thread was used along with real stones to create a garment which appears otherworldly and transports the wearer to another plane of existence. While the iconography might be antiquated, the shape of the dresses is modern and highly wearable. I was dying to just take one home with me.

Versace

On the opposite hallway to the D&G collection are rows of mannequins with bright, long blonde hair, wearing what from afar might look like medieval armour. Upon closer inspection, you can make out the large gemstone crosses emblazoned on the dresses. The fabric used to create the dress mirrors the look of chain mail. These are from Versace’s last collection in 1997. Each dress is decorated with the bejewelled crucifixes.

The collection was the last one he produced before his untimely assassination later that year. Versace struggled with his health in the years before this collection debuted. And it seems understandable how his religion would play heavily on his mind. As death seemed to creep closer and closer, even unknowingly. In adorning his dresses with the symbol of the cross, one wonders if it was some kind of absolution or confessional. To purge himself of any sin before his passing. In retrospect of his murder, the dresses are even more powerful to look at. Especially all lined up together like this.

The first gold dress in the procession with a large cross spanning the entire height and width was actually based of a real Byzantine gilt silver cross from the MET. Gianni Versace saw this cross when visiting the MET years prior and was overcome with inspiration. You can see the cross still displayed in the same gallery today adjacent to the fashions.

Wedding Dress

The last dress in the room is a beautiful wedding gown. This dress is the only one designed in silver and stands as a stunning finale piece. A veil covers the head of the mannequin and a large diamond crucifix, replete with diamonds, is placed over her face. Covering her eyes.

Byzantine Apse

In between the Byzantine hallways, in a hidden alcove, is the reconstruction of a Byzantine apse containing 6th & 12th-century mosaics as well as pieces of old Byzantine cathedrals. This little area is tucked away and many people seem to miss it. Inside you’ll find three pieces from Gianni Versace’s 1991 collection. Upon these rainbow-adorned bustiers and jackets are images of the Madonna. All set against a backdrop of original religious mosaics from the period.

In the centre is an emerald green jacket featuring the mother Mary with baby Jesus in her arms. Surrounded by a rainbow halo or jewels. Gemstones in all shapes and colours cover the entire jacket. Where there aren’t jewels, they are detailed embroidery flowing up the sleeves. The level of detail that has been placed into the creation of the jacket makes it feel more like a crown jewel. Rather than a runway look.

Apse Gallery

After the Byzantine Galleries, poke your head into the small Apse Gallery, located in front of the Medieval Europe Gallery. In here is one of my favourite pieces. This is Jean Paul Gautier‘s Ex-Voto gown from his Spring/Summer collection in 2007. From afar the dress looks like a blend of fashion and armour. It is covered with copper and silver plates with the images of saints and angels, as well as different bodies parts hammered into the metal. The delicate grey tulle drapes down from the sleeves all the way to the floor. She looks almost ghostly and angelic. An “ex-voto” is a religious offering.

Milagros

These are extremely popular in Mexico, where they are called “Milagros”. You purchase a different milagro which reflects the thing you’re struggling with. Hearts for someone longing for love. Images of the mother mary for something wishing to have a child, and even images of body parts to heal injuries and illnesses. These are then pinned to images or life-size statues of patron saints in order to fulfil your desires through prayer. The dress itself feels like a walking devotional. Almost as if the model herself is a vessel for all the sins of mankind.

Surrounding the dress in glass cases are a series painted icons, cross reliquaries and metalwork from the Medieval period. Each of them feels like they could themselves be a part of her dress. And all act as inspiration for the design.

Ex-Votos

In front of the Ex-Voto dress are a series of black leather jackers. Two of them, on either end, are by a Versace, one by Gianni and the other by Donatella. Gianni Versace’s 1991 leather “Perfecto” jackets were embroidered with green, gold and ruby red Byzantine crosses. 20 years after his death, his sister, Donatella, reimagined them for her spring 2018 collection. The Byzantine cross, specifically like the ones mimicked in these jackets, are often used in processions, often during funerals. And it seems poignant to see them here, especially in Donatella’s garment as a nod to her brother after his death.

Byzantine Cross

In the centre grouping of the black jackets is my favourite, a Christian Lacroix stunner with an enormous “crux gemmata” on the front. To the right of the jacket, in a glass case, is an original crux gemmata from 1180. These crosses are covered in glass cabochons. Cabochons are rounded gemstones which have been highly polished but contain no sharp edges. The crux was the most important piece of the church’s treasury in the medieval era. These bejewelled crosses were used in large processions to usher in important parts of the Christian calendar. The use of the crux on the front of the jakcet is an impactful statment for anyone to make and the beautiful gemstones inlaid into the gold are absolutely dazzling.

Opposite the jackets are a collection of cross pendants and accessories, both from the Byzantine period and modern day. Coco Chanel owned an original copper cross pendant from the Byzantine period, lent to the MET for the exhibition, and was so inspired by its design she copied it almost identically for her collection. Chanel’s devotees loved her version of the cross pendant and wore it as a sign of their adoration for her brand. From one symbol of devotion to another, the power of the cross is universal.

Medieval Europe Gallery

Past the Apse Gallery is the Medieval Europe Gallery. This room is centred around a large marble altar canopy from the 12th century. Around the perimeter of the room are some gorgeous original stained glass windows, making you feel as if you have entered a part of the church. The Medieval Europe gallery focuses on designers who created garments for saint statues inside churches, specifically for the virgin and child.

Located beside the marble altar is a stunning dress in ivory with a sky blue cape embroidered all over with gold threads designed by Riccardo Tisci. Dressing sculptures is a tradition that dates back to the middle ages. Wooden statues made to appear like important saints were carried in ceremonial processions and adorned with costumes and votive offerings. During different times of the year, the statues would be dressed differently to signify the change in the religious calendar.

Chapel of Our Lady of Compassion Dress

The blue and cream dress was designed as a vestment for the Madonna in the Chapel of Our Lady of Compassion in Paris. It is a reworking of an original design once worn by the saint in the 1500s. The first dress was made by the Sisters of the Order of the Poor Benedictine. It was hand embroidered and took over 3,000 hours of labour to complete. This led to a papal order in 1530 to ban such lavishness and excess since it was considered immoral and indecent. Thankfully, hundreds of years later we don’t just see this lavishness as a sin but rather as a testimony to the importance and love people have for the Madonna. They want to adorn her with treasures and make even images of her form as heavenly as possible.

The other stunning figure in the room is inspired by Our Lady of Guadalupe, popular mostly in Spain. The outfit, designed by Yves Saint Laurent, was also inspired by the statue of the Virgin Mary atop the spire of Milan’s cathedral. Our Lady of Guadalupe is iconic for the presence of her ornate crown and rays of light which emanates from her body. Gold is such a highly symbolic colour for the church. It symbolizes majesty, joy, and celebration. Her crown here is made up of gold coral. During the 18th century coral was one of the most precious treasures and since the seas were as of then so unexplored, it was almost mythical. By creating the Virgin’s crown from gold coral it is elevating her majesty to an almost fantastical level.

Medieval Sculpture Hall

Walking into the sculpture hall, you truly feel like you’re walking into a Medieval Cathedral. The layout is similar to that of a traditional church with a nave, central aisle, two side aisles and an enormous three storey choir screen. These choir screens were used before reformations to create a distinct barrier between the divine and the earthly plane, where the common people prayed and where the priests preached. In this room they even have choral music playing throughout, giving the space that extra air of gravitas.

Monks & Nuns Garments

In the exhibition, the choir screen is used to divide fashions inspired by the nuns and clergymen and the garments inspired by holy saints and angels. The left aisle is dedicated to fashion inspired by priestly robes and monks garments. One of the most iconic pieces of the ecclesiastical dress is the black cassock or soutane. This is the uniform most people would recognize as a priestly garment. These soutanes inspired many different fashion designers over the years.

Other than the black soutane, nun’s are distinguishable by their white veils. The wearing of these veils is derived from a biblical commandment which states that “every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered disgraces her head” -First Corinthians 11:3. These veils became a source of huge inspiration for designers due to their structural shape and distinct silhouette they give to the body.

Godelieve

One of the MET’s most impressive medieval paintings is the multi-panel depiction of the life and sainthood of Godelieve. Godelieve was a pious young girl who wanted to devote her life to god and become a nun. Her mother and father, however, wanted her to marry a wealthy nobleman. She was forced into the marriage but before the wedding could take place she fled.

Two servants caught her but when they brought her back, her husband demanded the servants throw her into a pool. There she drowned and the husband pretended her death was by natural causes. Her husband married again but their first daughter was born blind, as his new wife Edith was cursed by Godelieve. To repent, they both set off on holy pilgrimages and each founded a Monastery and Abbey respectively. Many of the garments in this historic painting can be seen as almost direct references to the fashions on display.

One of my favourite outfits was designed by Jean Paul Gautier in 1997. The design is all black, much like the priest’s cassocks but in the centre of the dress, there is a small beaded image of the mother Mary. On either side of the image are two wings which can be opened and closed around the figure. This mimics the layout and function of medieval triptych paintings. Similar to the three panel layout of the painting of Godelieve above.

White & Gold

Colour is very important in the Catholic church to establish hierarchy. The pope is almost always dressed in white and gold. White symbolizes purity, holiness and virtue. Gold thread is brilliant and sparkles in the light and as such, symbolizes the presence of God. No better example of the elevated nature which white and gold embues is this brilliant piece by the House of Dior, designed by John Galliano for their haute couture collection.

Priests, bishops and nuns all wear black as it is a symbol of repentance and simplicity. Bishops’ robes can be distinguished from the priests by the red trim. They call this colour “amaranth” named after the flower from which the dye was derived from. Amaranths are a flower which seems to bloom all year long and therefore has become a symbol for immortality.

Cardinals

Cardinals wear long red robes. Red is the colour of princes, as they act like the princes to the kingdom of God. Red also symbolizes the blood of martyrs. This Valentino gown was designed to look like the great cape or “cappa magna” worn in processions by cardinals. Valentino’s interpretation here marries modesty and sex appeal with that severe plunging neckline but use of layers upon layers of fabric.

Some of the outfits here mimic the look of the traditional monastic vestments so much, upon first glance you might assume they are the real thing, albeit with perhaps a few alterations and luxury fabrics. One such gown caused an uproar when it first came down the runway in 1956. The “Little Priest” dress was designed by Sorelle Fontana and made famous when it was worn by Ava Gardner in their Cardinal collection. It is directly influenced by a cardinal’s soutane, even down to the red trim and long gold cross.

The Sound of Music

Thom Browne‘s womenswear collection inspired by the Sound of Music plays with the monastic looks as well. It is often surprising to see these modest and relatively refined elements of these vestments in women’s fashion where dressing is often shockingly provocative and revealing. It is perhaps the departure from a more alluring look to this structured, put together appearance which made these collections so poignant for modern women.

Standing at the entrance to the choir screen, turn around and look up. The balcony inside the room is filled with mannequins, each wearing a simplistic, white choir gown. These were designed by Balenciaga in the 1960s. He was inspired by the uniforms of his seamstresses in his studio who were also members of the choir. He donated the garments to the church and they are on loan here, standing in the spotlight. Many people seem to miss this one part of the exhibit so be sure to take a moment to observe it.

Saints and Angels

Behind the choir screen, we enter the realm of the divine, with garments inspired by the cult of saints and angels. At the entrance, you’re greeted by the gold-clad angel designed by Mugler in 1984. The angel was based on iconic images of the Arch Angel Gabriel. The delicate drapery, pooling around the body feels almost ethereal. He is the perfect welcoming figure as you make your way into the heavenly realm.

In front of the choir, screen stands a heartstopping model wearing what appears to be a wedding gown, covered in flowers. In the middle of her chest is a copper heart with a dagger struck through the centre. This is a dress designed by Christian LaCroix, made to be the show-stopper in his 2009 collection. And one can understand why. Her outfit resembles the image of the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary.

Immaculate Heart

There are so many levels of symbolism in the Immaculate Heart, it is one of my favourite images in Christian symbology. The heart being visible outside Mary’s body symbolizes her undying love for the people, so powerful her heart cannot be contained in her body. A row of roses surrounds the heart, roses are a symbol of purity relating to her immaculate conception. Finally, the heart is pierced by a sword symbolizing the eternal sorrow she has for the child she lost. Whether you are religious or not, there is certainly something deeply moving about a mother’s pain for the loss of her child. LaCroix’s dress takes elements from this symbol and threads them into the literal fabric of the dress.

Mugler

Blue and white together are traditionally the two colours associated with the Virgin Mary. In many medieval paintings, she is seen clothed in a blue robe, blue the same colour as the sky, to symbolize her position as the queen of heaven. White is also the symbol of virtue and purity which exemplify her virginity. In 1984, Mugler‘s famous runway featured an audience of over 6,000 spectators and combined fashions with theatrical sets, music, and choreography. The culmination of the show ended with actress Pat Cleveland descending from the ceiling in a wash of dry ice above a series of glass spires. She was adorned in an outfit designed as a modern-day Madonna complete with the same blue and white robes seen in medieval paintings.

On either side of the choir screen are two figures lying in repose. The one on the right is a medieval effigy of a royal knight. He is seen wearing his armour and holding his sword in his hands. On the opposite side is a dress by Jean Paul Gautier from 1994. The dress is a simple, yet beautifully constructed, linen gown with the addition of an immaculate embellished shoulder piece which resembles armour. The design of the outfit feels like a reference to Joan of Arc as well as the medieval sepulchre art found opposite.

Medieval Treasury

The Medieval treasure contains various works from the Gothic period in France. Stained-glass panels, carved ivories, manuscripts, and goldsmiths’ work are all lovingly displayed along with accessories from the Heavenly Bodies Collection. The first piece you’re greeted by is the iconic wooden angel wings by Alexander McQueen. McQueen’s angel with plywood wings is set against the backdrop of a 14th-century wooden altarpiece. Both depict angels carved out of wood, but their take on the biblical creatures each reflects the cultural sensibilities of the time.

Crown of Thorns

A gothic headpiece by Givenchy covered in garnet rosary beards is set beside a gothic stone carving of Jesus with the crown of thorns. The Gothic subculture was prevalent in modern fashion in the 80s and 90s. The connection between goths and Catholicism is actually very tightly knit. Gothic fashion derives much of their influences from Gothic Cathedrals. The ornate gold and silver crosses, the embellishments and the black-clad uniform much like the same ones worn by priests.

The Robert Lehman Collection

After touring the rest of the accessories in the treasure head across the courtyard to Gallery 955 in The Robert Lehman Collection. The Lehman collection is home to nineteenth and twentieth-century European paintings. During Heavenly Bodies it contains a small grouping of angelic fashions in a spectrum of colours. These are a collection from Rodarte and the House of Lanvin. These women dressed in heavenly robes inspired by one of histories greatest artist, Fra Angelico. Fra Angelico was an early Italian Renaissance painter described by Vasari in his Lives of the Artists as having “a rare and perfect talent”. The colours used throughout his pieces came to define renaissance painting.

The blue dress with golden embellishments is lifted straight from the canvas of Fra Angelico’s frescos. In fact, Lanvin was so awe-inspired by Angelica that they copied some of the depictions of garments from the frescos almost exactly for their collection. Prooving that even centuries don’t separate what people see as beautiful, even in fashion.

Rodarte

To the right, is a collection of golden figures with radiating headpieces by Rodarte from 2011. This dress is an interpretation of Bernini‘s emotional “Ecstacy of Saint Thersa” in Rome. Looking at them together one can clearly see the inspiration but even without them side by side, it is impossible not to feel the brilliant power of the dresses alone.

Behind the rainbow collection is a set of dresses once more from Mugler‘s 1984 collection as well as a few pieces by Roberto Capucci in 1987. These dresses are made of delicate metallic fabrics which have been carefully pleated and draped into silhouettes of angelic figures. The peaked shoulders form the appearance of wings. They almost look like golden statuaries and yet with the slightest breath of wind their seemingly solid forms gently bend and sway.

This completes your journey through the MET 5th Avenue Collection of the Heavenly Bodies Exhibit. But the adventure is not over just yet. Andrew Bolton, the curator of the exhibit, designed it to be like a pilgrimage. And to see the entire vision, you must next travel out to the MET Cloisters to see the final instalment. Having seen the MET Cloisters exhibit I must implore you to do the same, and if you can’t make it out there, be sure to read my guide, because it truly is such a powerful and significant part of understanding the entire exhibition. The show is on until October 8th, 2018, so even if you don’t make it out there right away, be sure to see it before it ends!

The post Discover the Ethereal Beauty of the MET Heavenly Bodies Exhibition first appeared on The Creative Adventurer.