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(04/30/24) BATON ROUGE, La — A new exhibition opening at The LSU Textile and Costume Museum honors Geoffrey Beene, a Louisiana native and one of the 20th century’s most successful American fashion designers.
The exhibit “Coming Home: Geoffrey Beene” celebrates Beene’s accomplishments and craftsmanship. It will run from May 5 to January 24, 2025, at the museum located 330 Tower Dr. in the Human Ecology Building on the LSU campus.
Beene, originally from Haynesville, Louisiana, adapted his training in French couture for the American market, garnering eight prestigious Coty Awards and two Council of Fashion Designers of America awards. Beene’s work is in the collections of leading institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum at FIT, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. His fashion career spanned more than 40 years.
Dr. Sylvia R. Karasu, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine of New York City, donated more than two hundred pieces of Beene’s fashions from her collection, documenting Beene's career, to the museum.
“This significant gift, the largest from a singular donor in our history, establishes the Textile and Costume Museum as one of the world's most extensive archives of Geoffrey Beene and a leader in preserving American fashion history,” said Michael Mamp, the museum’s director and curator.
The museum will host an opening reception on May 5 from 2-4 p.m. Mamp will moderate a panel discussion with Karasu and Russell Nardozza, former senior vice president and chief operating office of Geoffrey Beene, LLC.
“We are thrilled to celebrate Geoffrey Beene in 2024, what would have been the year of his hundredth birthday," Mamp said.
Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m., and the first Sunday of each month from 2 to 4 p.m. Admission to the museum is free.
The designs of iconic fashion designer and Louisiana native Geoffrey Beene are on display at the LSU Textile and Costume Museum. Photo provided by Michael Mamp
