Photography: Solid Gold, Brooklyn Museum 11/23/24

Photography: Solid Gold, Brooklyn Museum 11/23/24

Opening as Brooklyn Museum celebrates its 200th anniversary, their latest exhibit Solid Gold features more than 500 works dedicated to the element that has inspired countless works of art, fashion, film, music and design. Gold, as a material and a color has symbolized beauty, honor, joy, ritual, spirituality, success and wealth throughout history. Through a sweeping range of objects — including coins, clothing, ritual objects and more — the exhibition traces the many odysseys of the metal that has influenced cultures and legacies globally.

Opening as Brooklyn Museum celebrates its 200th anniversary, Solid Gold features 500 works, pairing pieces from the museum’s collection with international loans. The fashion world’s embrace of gold can be seen through 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. You can see gold-ground paintings, sculptures, coins and other treasures, jewelry by Alexander Calder, Belperron, Cartier, Charles Lololma, Jacob & Co, and Vedura, as well as grills by Gabby Elan.

While celebrating the seductiveness of the luminous material, the exhibit tackles and confronts darker histories, inviting frank discussions about the human and environmental costs of extracting gold ore from the earth.