EMOTION, DISCOVERY and ILLUSION: Between Art and Fashion @ the National Academy: Review by Polly Guerin

Does fashion and art marry well in today's modern consciousness? The world of fashion and art are inseparable components that merge together to provide an endless discussion as to what genre influences the other, is it fashion first or is it art? The National Academy's exhibition may allude to the answers as it examines the forms, colors. and shapes that influenced and synthesize the worlds of fashion and art. Image Left: Ivory Silk gown, Early 19th Century, Private Collection, New York and Right: Sarah Tse, Sweet Little Sixteen, 2011-15, collage screen print.
     EMOTION, DISCOVERY and ILLUSION BETWEEN ART AND FASHION runs from February 3rd to 28th, 2016 in the National Academy/Sonia Gechtoff Gallery, 5 East 89th Street. 
    In the spotlight are works by designers from the early 19th century to today, including Christian Dior, Issey Miyake, and Hermes, alongside artworks by National Academicians, emerging artists, and gifted students of the academy.
    The eclectic selection of fashion items includes antique European gowns, Asian hair pins, brushes, slippers and robes, plus cloaks of an ecclesiastical nature and equestrian garb. Aspects of these materials and items have serves as a direct inspiration for some artworks in the show while others are conceptually related to fashion.   

: William Merrit Chase, The Young Orphan, Miriam Schapiro, "Fanfare "

Nancy Shapiro recycles paper into a dapper lady's hat, bringing an elegant eco-friendly western twist to the Japanese tradition of origami. The wide brimmed "Paper Hat" hovers in the gallery near a 19th century ivory, silk gown, as if Shapiro's headpiece were designated to top off the ghostly gown. 
    Drawn entirely from the museum's impressive collection of work by National Academicians, AN AMERICAN COLLECTION features more than 100 works from the 1820s through 1970s, incorporating many significant art movements in America. This installation marks the return of the National Academy's popular Salon Gallery. On permanent exhibition: Miriam Schapiro, A Visionary presents a cross-section of works of a pioneering feminist artist. 

"I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can" Miriam Schapiro 1934"

    Two additional exhibitions open concurrently at the National Academy Museum. Contemporary Highlights from the Collection and Method Over Metric. For instance, Contemporary serves as a continuation An American Collection, and features pieces gifted by artists from the mid-1960s through the mid-2000s, including works by Louise Bourgeois, Robert Motherwell, Robert Rauschenberg and Carrie Mae Weems, among others. On view February 4-May 8, 2016.  Gallery Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9am-8pm; Friday-Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday 11am-6pm. Email: schoolinfo@nationalacademy.org. 212.966.1908.
    Ta Ta Darlings: Wonderful opportunity to start your own discussion: which genre influences the most? Is it art or is it fashion.  Fan mail welcome at: pollytalknyc.gmail.com. Visit Polly's Blogs at www.pollytalk.com and in the left hand column click on the Blog that resonates with your interest.