Coming Home: Geoffrey Beene
Tentative Dates April 26, 2024 - September 1, 2024
Geoffrey Beene (1924-2004) was among the twentieth century's most successful and prolific
American fashion designers. In Coming Home: Geoffrey Beene, we celebrate the many
accomplishments of this arbiter of classic style and impeccable craftsmanship who,
for decades, reigned supreme as the gold standard of American fashion design. Mr.
Beene, originally from Haynesville, Louisiana, was a southern gentleman to his core,
committed to celebrating beauty in all its forms. His excellence in design garnered
him eight Coty Awards and two Council of American Fashion Designers awards. This exhibition
will be shown simultaneously in the Textile & Costume Museum gallery and at the LSU
Museum of Art. In his trailblazing career, Mr. Beene developed a group of loyal devotees
of his work. Sylvia Karasu, M.D., of New York City, donated over two hundred pieces
of Geoffrey Beene fashion from her collection and related ephemera, documenting Mr.
Beene's career and Dr. Karau's passion for the designs of Geoffrey Beene. We are pleased
to celebrate Mr. Beene in 2024, what would have been the year of his 100th birthday.
Strapless full-length evening dress (left), with a bodice of Klimt-inspired gold scrolling lace over black satin printed with large scattered circles in turquoise, orange, purple, hot pink, and red; bodice with boned lining; the long skirt of sheer black and gold lace with appliques on the interior of multi-color circles, rippled hem trimmed with gold and black striped ruffles, fall 1998. Black sequin and floral print gown (right), c. 1997, both gifts of Sylvia Karasu, M.D., photographs by Alan Barnett.