Evening dress

Gianni Versace|Gianni Versace

spring/summer 1991 · silk, glass · Costume Institute

Versace's passion for Andy Warhol was fueled, as the designer reported, by one of his first trips to New York and his association of Warhol with media awareness, a lively art scene, appreciation of art and design, and the synthesis of art and living that Warhol practiced and that was epitomized by the Factory. Versace, the great observer and trawler after cultural details, saw Warhol as a soul mate. It is no accident that the Warhol dresses appear in the same collection as the 'Vogue' dresses. In each case, the designer assumed media and visual culture. The pairing of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe is like the Pop Art Medusa emblem already an icon for Versace. In 1991, Versace selected classic Warhol images that originated in the 1960s.

Artist

Gianni Versace|Gianni Versace

Date

spring/summer 1991

Medium

silk, glass

Culture

Italian

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Gianni Versace, 1993