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| Installation photo of 'Ralph Pucci: The Art of the Mannequin' 2015. Photo by Butcher Walsh. Courtesy of the Museum of Arts and Design. |
Lynn and I finished our recent sprint through the galleries and museums of New York with a visit to the Museum of Art and Design where we viewed Ralph Pucci: The Art of the Manequin. This exhibit highlights Mr. Pucci's three decades as a legendary mannequin designer. The exhibit highlights Mr. Pucci's variety of collaborations with the likes of Christy Turlington, Diane von Furstenberg and Isabel and Ruben Toledo. These collaborations have no doubt fueled Mr. Pucci's diverse body of work and ongoing artistic evolution. Mr. Pucci's career paralleled the dawning the notion of the supermodel and his work reflects the evolution of body types to the present. The late 80's and 90's some particular attention and inovation to modeling a more dynamic and athletic "type" for his female mannequins. Mr. Pucci's most recent work has tended to be more playful having mannequins perform handstands (such as with his creation Sport 2007), crouch like ninjas or be decorated with playful touches such as an eye patch.
The exhibit also has an in-studio recreation of Mr. Pucci's s studio as well as featuring Mr. Pucci's longtime collaborator and sculptor Michael Evert "in residence" during the exhibits run allowing museum goers an inside look at the entirety of the creative process behind making Mr. Pucci's artful mannequins.
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Collection of Ralph Pucci Photo by Antoine Bootz |
The exhibit closes August 30th. Wonderful tribute to an artist who transformed a craft into his own personal art form.
