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Fashion and art collide in a golden decade of design at The Bowes Museum later this year, in an exciting new exhibition featuring some of Vivienne Westwood’s most recognisable creations from the mid 80s to the mid 90s. Framing Fashion: Art and Inspiration from a Private Collection of Vivienne Westwood opens at the Museum in Barnard Castle on Saturday, 19 October and runs until Sunday, 2 March 2025.
This show will feature a new selection of the late iconic designer’s ensembles from the private collection of Peter Smithson, who has spent nearly 30 years adding to his compilation of her work. It will explore the inspiration Westwood took from paintings, sitters in portraits and the materials and techniques used by artists.
One of her richest and most recognisable collections, Portrait (autumn/winter 1990/1991) was inspired by the art and interiors of The Wallace Collection in London and marked the mid-point of a particularly creative period for the designer. Items from this collection will be displayed alongside others exploring Westwood’s inspiration from classical and medieval art, 18th century portraits and pastoral scenes as well as other art forms.
The details in her work will be illustrated and referenced by paintings, objects and historic fashion from The Bowes Museum’s collection, including: 18 century portraits with sitters dressed as shepherds and shepherdesses, embroidery, tailoring and lace, paintings and sculpture featuring cherubs and putti, which were shown so much in Westwood’s work, as well as ceramic figures from the Commedia dell’Arte, which particularly influenced Voyage to Cythera (autumn/winter 1989/1990).
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