Solid Gold
November 16, 2024–July 6, 2025
Morris A. and Meyer Schapiro Wing and Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Gallery, 5th Floor
Opening on the occasion of the Brooklyn Museum’s 200th anniversary, Solid Gold features more than 500 works, pairing showpieces from the collection with stunning international loans. The fashion world’s embrace of gold will be seen in standout designs by Anna Sui, Christian Dior, Demna, Gianfranco Ferré, Giorgio di Sant’Angelo, Halston, Mary McFadden, The Blonds, Walter Van Beirendonck, and Yves Saint Laurent. Gold-ground paintings and sculptures, coins, and other treasures will sparkle alongside jewelry by Alexander Calder, Belperron, Cartier, Charles Loloma, Jacob & Co, and Verdura—as well as grillz by Gabby Elan. While celebrating the seductive magic of this luminous material, the exhibition will also confront darker histories, inviting frank discussions about the human and environmental costs of extracting gold ore from the earth. Solid Gold will immerse you in one of humankind’s most dazzling obsessions.
Solid Gold is organized by Matthew Yokobosky, Senior Curator of Fashion and Material Culture; Catherine Futter, Director of Curatorial Affairs and Senior Curator of Decorative Arts; and Lisa Small, Senior Curator, European Art; with Imani Williford, Curatorial Assistant, Photography, Fashion, and Material Culture.