Monday, August 24, 2009

Inspirational Pause #2.......AGO



I want to thank Ingrid of Fashion is My Muse for blogging about the fantastic Surreal exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario. We spent a delightful afternoon yesterday in Toronto at the AGO taking in the fabulous examples of art, fashion, furnishings, jewelry and
accessories that had all been part of the surrealistic movement.







I want to go back and see more. My head was swimming with all the fabulous exhibits, however I know I missed things. So many artists were represented, as well as fashion designers. My absolute favorite is Elsa Schiaparelli and I could have studied her
gowns for hours.



Silk chiffon "torn" dress - collaboration with Dali

Skeleton dress, another collaboration with Dali




Long Black coat with 'vase' embroidery and applied roses on the back - collaboration with Jean Cocteau



Pieced wool felt "harlequin" coat

handsewn plaited gold braid coat and cape


The above are just a few examples of Schiap's designs that are on exhibit. Another favorite of mine is Charles James, who had several gowns and this very 80s looking jacket:




Not to be outdone in the fashion section, there was Dali's "Aphrodisiac" Jacket:




There were costumes from the Ballet Russes.....a couple of them below:




Along with some wonderful painted wardrobes and other pieces of furniture, there was this corset chair by Leonor Fini:



There was so much to see in this exhibit alone, that we had very little time to see some of the other exhibits. The AGO is a huge place and well worth a whole day visit. Numerous paintings by masters, including some of the Pre-Raphelites, sculpture, some fascinating and quirky installations, just sooooo much......I'm definitely planning a trip back!



I will end this with a picture of Dali's lobster phone.......





Obviously, this exhibit has nothing to do with dolls, however art of any kind can be inspiring and feed the creative juices and yesterday definitely proved that!

14 comments:

Abi said...

How wonderful! I would love to visit the gallery. I love the harlequin coat and the corset chair! I so wish I had such a vivid imagination!

Anonymous said...

OMG Sue...
I love pause #2 That first picture looks like the couch of Salvador Dali when we went to his museum in Spain... But there are so many many cool pictures you've chosen!
Amazing art!
Pattee

Renee said...

I went there in November and the gallery was amazing.

Maybe this is a new exhibit, I did not see this.

Love Renee xoxo

Sue said...

Pattee, you are correct - it is Dali's couch, I forgot to caption the pic.

Pearl said...

I want the jacket with rose's and the corset chair! Wow how cool is that. You can be inspired by anything, nature, weird people,crazy people, and on and on. That's why I come here to your site Sue, you inspire me all the time!! Thanks for the nice comments on my blog. Pearl

Roxanne said...

These are Amazing!!
Have a wonderful day Sue!
Roxanne

Sea Gypsy said...

Inspirational! Wow, I love the corset chair and the dresses are stunning! It sounds like a great day! Thank you for sharing it with us. I have to go now and check out the inspiration in your last post. How clever and talented she is! I love it!

Nun of a Kind! said...

Looks as if I have to make a trip to Toronto! But, in case I don't, thanks for the "tour" of the exhibit!

PolkadotToadstool said...

Thanks for sharing these pictures. What beautiful creative things.

FlightFancy said...

Amazing! I love that table! Thanks for sharing these.

mycuriousteaparty said...

I would love to wear that 'Vase' dress, how amazing would it be. Thank you for sharing these pictures, inspiring.

mycuriousteaparty said...

Thank you for dropping by, your site is inspirational.

3rdEyeMuse said...

wow! you've given me yet another fine reason to travel way north ... thank you!

julie said...

Thanks for sharing Sue...I agree, it doesn't have to be doll art to inspire doll makers...I enjoy ART period. I love the clothes. I have a book you might enjoy and will send you the title...it's all art clothes. The taxidermy however is a bit uncomfortable...the first photo reminds me of the American congress...sheep without an original thought hug, hug