spotlight
by joel martens The lovely thing about artistic expression, is that it can
take a multitude of unique and different forms; be it through painting or sculpture, a photograph or multimedia project, or any of the myriad contours it may follow. Each has its own merit and is an expression of the creator’s vision and then discerned, primarily, by the viewer’s unique interpretation...A sensibility that can be attached to the many manifestations available to us. Who hasn’t had the op- portunity of sitting at a table whilst having a plate presented to them reflecting a chef’s artistry, or lost themselves during a performance in the grasp of a gifted musician, as they express their passion for a composer’s mastery? Art in its many forms, also tends to reflect the times
during which the works were executed. War, poverty, riches and posterity, a connected world or one that is blowing apart, egalitarianism or egoism, it’s all there on a canvas, in sculpture, on a video, in a photograph and indeed, literally expressed in the clothing we wear on our backs. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has put together a collection of menswear, spanning a 300-year period that reflects many of the aforementioned ideas, showing the level to which fashion has been a part of, pardon the puniness, the fabric of our lives. Reigning Men offers a unique vision into menswear and its place, representing what we as a culture were manifesting socially, politically and culturally. Often considered a woman’s purview, this exhibit clearly shows that
men have been just as concerned with appearances throughout history as anyone. As Sharon Takeda, senior curator and head of LACMA’s Costume and Textiles department notes, “Reigning Men takes us on an intriguing 300-year journey of sartorial splendor of aristocrats, dandies, mods, punks and so many others. Through examples of historical and contemporary ensembles, viewers can encounter the evolving nature of menswear and contemplate the future of men’s fashion.” Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715–2015, runs Sunday, April
10 through Sunday, August 21 at the LACMA and features 200 looks, drawn mostly from the museum’s renowned, permanent collection of costume and textiles. A collection amassed as LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director Michael Govan says, “Through major acquisitions and generous gifts over the past 10 years, LACMA now has the strongest European and American menswear collections in the western United States. “Reigning Men is an exciting and rare opportunity to examine the comprehensive history of men’s fashion, and we are thrilled to share the collection and scholarship with Los Angeles and beyond.”
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RAGE monthly | APRIL 2016
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