"Shades of Picasso"

Gilbert Adrian

1944–45 · rayon · Costume Institute

Adrian developed a style in the mid-1940s that echoed the Cubist paintings of artists like George Braque (1882-1963) and Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). A painter as well as a designer, Adrian manipulated pieces of fabric as deftly as his paintbrush, juxtaposing colors and shapes in a style that would become a signature of his designs in the mid and late 1940s. This dress, titled "Shades of Picasso," was included in the "Modern Museum" collection of 1945. Garments from the collection, along with other Adrian designs, were featured at the 1945 American Fashion Critics awards ceremony when Adrian won his Coty award.

Artist

Gilbert Adrian

Date

1944–45

Medium

rayon

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of The Roebling Society and H. Randolph Lever Fund, 1997