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A painting depicts a person wearing a red headscarf and futuristic goggles, standing in profile against a blurred water background. The scene has a reflective, surreal quality with dark and muted colors.

Manners of Dress: Transhistorical Dialogues

Portrait of a woman in elaborate Renaissance attire, featuring a richly decorated black dress with red accents and lace details. She holds a red fan in her right hand and wears pearl jewelry. The background is dark, highlighting her elegant appearance.

September 13, 2025 – January 4, 2026

This exhibition critically examines the significance of diverse manners of dress from a contemporary perspective. A selection of paintings, sculptures, photographs, and the museum’s unique collection of watch keys are displayed in a transhistorical dialogue that activates multiple interpretations. Traditional works by Emilio P. Fiaschi, Dirck Hals, Louis Michel van Loo, and William Williams, capture the importance of textures, materials, and styles to communicate visually. Contemporary works by Elinor Carucci, Caitlin Keogh, and Paulina Olowska, provide a counterpoint to explore visual signifiers of status and identity. Expanding the exhibition’s scope, the inclusion of watch keys from the 16th to 19th centuries highlights their dual role as both functional objects and expressions of fashion and social standing.

Manners of Dress features works from various time periods and cultural traditions, encouraging viewers to establish points of connection and consider critical perspectives.

Image Top: Paulina Olowska (Polish, b. 1976), The Swan (after Norman Parkinson Foundation) [detail], 2017, oil and acrylic on canvas, 86 5/8 x 66 7/8 in., The Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art, Rollins Museum of Art. Gift of Barbara '68 and Theodore '68 Alfond, 2017.6.58.

Image Right: Attributed to Paulus (Jansz) Moreelse (Dutch, 1571-1638), Portrait of a Lady, ca. 1620s, oil on panel, 41 1/2 x 32 3/4 in., Gift of the Myers Family, Mr. and Mrs. John C. Myers, Jr. '42 and June Reinhold Myers '41, 1961.3.

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