Collection highlights Brooklyn Museum Libraries and Archives

1 collection highlights

1.1 costume , fashion sketch collection

1.1.1 henri bendel collection


1.2 artists books

collection highlights

today brooklyn museum library collections encyclopedic in scope , parallel strength of museum s collections. in addition being research center, library collections exhibited @ brooklyn museum , elsewhere. collection highlights include special collections of fashion sketches, documentary photographs, artists’ books, trade catalogs , other rare books.

costume , fashion sketch collection

highlights of fashion sketch collection include sketches elizabeth hawes, bonnie cashin, walter plunkett , full visual record of every design imported or created henri bendel 1912 1950. museum s website has images of such collections.

henri bendel collection

in spring of 1942, brooklyn museum libraries sent questionnaire seventy-five designers requesting biographical information along sketches of work. questionnaire announced in women s wear daily. henri bendel sent large collection of sketches rendered design artists employed retailer. artists attended parisian shows record work of more 170 designers including balenciaga, chanel, dior, lanvin, poiret, schiaparelli, vionnet, , worth. in 1944, sketches collection featured in exhibition @ museum, french fashion sketches henri bendel collection.

today, henri bendel collection represents largest , 1 of first sketch collections received, more 11,000 sketches of french couture imported company in addition own house designs 1912 through 1950.

artists books

artists books special feature of library collection focus on brooklyn-based artists; artists exhibited museum or have work in museum’s object collection; artists create work relates objects or cultures represented in museum’s object collections; artists considered innovators or masters in artists books world. recent donations include artists books library of arnold smoller , library of thea westreich , ethan wagner.

the exhibition entitled artist books, held in 2000, featured 50 books ranging multiples limited edition unique works library collection. 2003 2006, museum featured key works wilbour library of egyptology in 2 part exhibition entitled egypt through other eyes: travel , exploration , popularization of ancient egypt, examined how western writers , artists saw , recorded egypt works on hieroglyphs discovery of tutankhamun s tomb in 1922.