Richard Martin (curator)
Encyclopedia
Richard Martin was a scholar, lecturer, critic and curator, and a leading art
and fashion historian. At the time of his death he was curator of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
, creating many critically acclaimed exhibitions and contributing widely towards publications on the subject. After his death, an award in his name was set up to recognise creative, high quality and innovative costume exhibitions.
, graduating in 1967, and gained two master's degrees, both from Columbia University
. As a lecturer, he held academic positions at the School of Visual Arts
, New York University
, Columbia, the Juilliard School
and Parsons School of Design.
, the Fashion Institute of Technology
(FIT), and the School of Visual Arts
. In 1980 he became involved with fashion exhibitions at the FIT where he worked with Harold Koda and Laura Sinderbrand, the director of the FIT's Design Laboratory (now the Museum at FIT). He served as the editor in chief of Arts Magazine
before his 1991 appointment as executive director of the Shirley Goodman Resource Center, which was responsible for the FIT's exhibitions and collections.
The exhibitions Martin and Koda put up at the FIT, including The East Village, Fashion and Surrealism
, Undercover Story, and Three Women: Madeleine Vionnet
, Claire McCardell
, Rei Kawakubo
attracted a great deal of attention. In 1987 they were given a special award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America
. Martin would later win another award from the Council in 1996 "for furthering fashion in art and culture." Koda, who worked closely with Martin on exhibitions until they parted company in 1997, later said:
Martin wrote over 100 scholarly papers on a wide range of subjects, such as Art History and the Assimilation of Images by Contemporary Artists, and Redress of the Nerds: The Assertion of Nerd Style in Men's Clothing and Imagery in the 1980's. He also wrote a number of books on fashion and art, including Fashion and Surrealism and Charles James
, and co-authored others. He was also editor of Dress, the Costume Society of America's scholarly journal.
on November 8, 1999. He was survived by his partner, Dr. Richard Slusarczyk; and by a brother, Robert.
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
and fashion historian. At the time of his death he was curator of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, creating many critically acclaimed exhibitions and contributing widely towards publications on the subject. After his death, an award in his name was set up to recognise creative, high quality and innovative costume exhibitions.
Early life and education
Richard Harrison Martin was born December 4, 1946, at Bryn Mawr, PA. He studied at Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
, graduating in 1967, and gained two master's degrees, both from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. As a lecturer, he held academic positions at the School of Visual Arts
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, Columbia, the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
and Parsons School of Design.
Curatorship
Richard Martin taught art history from 1973 at New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, the Fashion Institute of Technology
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology, generally known as FIT, is a State University of New York college of art, business, design, and technology connected to the fashion industry, with an urban campus located on West 27th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of...
(FIT), and the School of Visual Arts
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
. In 1980 he became involved with fashion exhibitions at the FIT where he worked with Harold Koda and Laura Sinderbrand, the director of the FIT's Design Laboratory (now the Museum at FIT). He served as the editor in chief of Arts Magazine
Arts Magazine
Arts Magazine was monthly magazine devoted to fine art. It was established in 1926 and last published in 1992. It was originally called The Art Digest and was earlier published semi-monthly from October to May and monthly from June to September. It was later renamed Arts and finally, Arts Magazine...
before his 1991 appointment as executive director of the Shirley Goodman Resource Center, which was responsible for the FIT's exhibitions and collections.
The exhibitions Martin and Koda put up at the FIT, including The East Village, Fashion and Surrealism
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
, Undercover Story, and Three Women: Madeleine Vionnet
Madeleine Vionnet
This article is about the haute couture designer. For the fashion label, see Vionnet Madeleine Vionnet was a French fashion designer...
, Claire McCardell
Claire McCardell
Claire McCardell was an American fashion designer in the arena of ready-to-wear clothing in the 20th century. From the 1930s to the 1950s, she was known for designing functional, affordable, and stylish women’s sportswear within the constraints of mass-production, and is today acknowledged as the...
, Rei Kawakubo
Rei Kawakubo
is a Japanese fashion designer, founder of Comme des Garçons.She is untrained as a fashion designer, but studied fine arts and literature at Keio University. After graduation, Kawakubo worked in a textile company and began working as a freelance stylist in 1967....
attracted a great deal of attention. In 1987 they were given a special award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America
Council of Fashion Designers of America
The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. is a not-for-profit trade association of over 350 of America’s foremost fashion and accessory designers. As of 2009, Diane von Fürstenberg is the group's President and Steven Kolb is the Executive Director...
. Martin would later win another award from the Council in 1996 "for furthering fashion in art and culture." Koda, who worked closely with Martin on exhibitions until they parted company in 1997, later said:
-
- "We did five or six shows a year at F.I.T. and three a year at the Met, while most museums do only one. And he always had three or four years' worth of ideas. Some fashion people had difficulty with his language, because his language was the language of art, not fashion."
Martin wrote over 100 scholarly papers on a wide range of subjects, such as Art History and the Assimilation of Images by Contemporary Artists, and Redress of the Nerds: The Assertion of Nerd Style in Men's Clothing and Imagery in the 1980's. He also wrote a number of books on fashion and art, including Fashion and Surrealism and Charles James
Charles James (designer)
Charles James was a fashion designer known as America's first couturier. He is considered a master of cutting and is known for his highly structured aesthetic.-Early life:...
, and co-authored others. He was also editor of Dress, the Costume Society of America's scholarly journal.
Death and legacy
Richard Martin died at home in New York, aged 52, of melanomaMelanoma
Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the dark pigment, melanin, which is responsible for the color of skin. They predominantly occur in skin, but are also found in other parts of the body, including the bowel and the eye...
on November 8, 1999. He was survived by his partner, Dr. Richard Slusarczyk; and by a brother, Robert.
The Richard Martin Award
The Richard Martin Award for Excellence in the Exhibition of Costume was created by the Costume Society of America and launched in 2002. Martin was a valued member of the Society who, in addition to editing Dress, had served on the Board of Directors for six years and stood as President of the Mid-Atlantic region of the Society. The award is given to up to two institutions per year in recognition of high quality and innovative exhibitions of fashion and clothing.2002
- The Museum at FIT for London Fashion
2003
- McCord MuseumMcCord MuseumThe McCord Museum is a public research and teaching museum dedicated to the preservation, study, diffusion, and appreciation of Canadian history...
, Montreal, Canada for Clothes Make The Man - Los Angeles County Museum of ArtLos Angeles County Museum of ArtThe Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum in Los Angeles, California. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles, adjacent to the George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits....
for Miracles and Mischief: NohNoh, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...
and KyogenKyogenis a form of traditional Japanese comic theater. It developed alongside Noh, was performed along with Noh as an intermission of sorts between Noh acts, on the same Noh stage, and retains close links to Noh in the modern day; therefore, it is sometimes designated Noh-kyōgen...
Theater in Japan
2004
- Colonial WilliamsburgColonial WilliamsburgColonial Williamsburg is the private foundation representing the historic district of the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. The district includes buildings dating from 1699 to 1780 which made colonial Virginia's capital. The capital straddled the boundary of the original shires of Virginia —...
for The Language of Clothing
2005
- Mark Twain HouseMark Twain HouseThe Mark Twain House and Museum was the home of Mark Twain from 1874 to 1891 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA. Before 1874, Twain had lived in Hannibal, Missouri. The architectural style of the 19-room house is Victorian Gothic...
for "Modesty Died When Clothes Were Born": Costume in the Life and Literature of Mark Twain
2006
- No award was given for this year
2007
- Yeshiva University MuseumYeshiva University MuseumThe Yeshiva University Museum is a teaching museum and the cultural arm of Yeshiva University. Along with the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Foundation, the Leo Baeck Institute, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, it is a member organization of the Center for...
for A Perfect Fit: The Garment Industry and American JewryAmerican JewsAmerican Jews, also known as Jewish Americans, are American citizens of the Jewish faith or Jewish ethnicity. The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe, and their U.S.-born descendants...
1860-1960
2008
- Kent State University Museum for a series of exhibitions comprising The Age of Nudity; Hair: The Rise of Individuality, 1790-1840; and Fashion on the Ohio Frontier: 1790-1840.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art for PoiretPaul PoiretPaul Poiret was a French fashion designer. His contributions to twentieth-century fashion have been likened to Picasso's contributions to twentieth-century art.-Early life and career:...
: King of Fashion
2009
- McCord MuseumMcCord MuseumThe McCord Museum is a public research and teaching museum dedicated to the preservation, study, diffusion, and appreciation of Canadian history...
, Montreal, Canada for Reveal or Conceal?