You might say it took a small miracle to pull off this exhibition. Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, on display until October 8, spans 27 galleries and two locations—New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s main building on Fifth Avenue and its annex, the Cloisters, in upper Manhattan—and includes 40 masterworks of papal regalia from the Sistine Chapel sacristy (the first Vatican loan to the Met in 35 years). Then there’s the fashion—contemporary pieces inspired by Catholic themes and imagery, by the houses of Thierry Mugler, Jean Paul Gaultier, Yves Saint Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Rodarte, and Versace, among others.
The result is a mix of elaborate confections and pious ensembles interspersed with religious art and artifacts from the Met’s collection, in an array of spaces ranging from long, brightly lit galleries to low crypts. Unifying the display, from the pageantry on Fifth Avenue to the austerity and sanctity farther uptown, is the discreet exhibition design by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R).
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