Muscarelle Museum of Art

The College of William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia

Glenn Close: A Life in Costume

The Muscarelle Museum of Art, located at Lamberson Hall on the campus of The College of William & Mary, is a culturally‐rich art institution, serving as a dynamic resource for the community, a working laboratory for The College, and a platform for visiting exhibitions and the Museum's own collection. The Muscarelle Museum of Art opened in 1983 and subsequent gifts extended the collection beyond its roots in American portraiture. In 1987, the Museum underwent an expansion to nearly double its original size. The collection has continued to grow and now numbers over 5,000 works of art from many cultures and historical eras. The strength of the collection is the holdings in English and American portraits of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that have national importance. The Museum collection is supplemented and enhanced by numerous special exhibitions that bring works of art from public and private collections worldwide.

Glenn Close graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a double major in theatre and anthropology from William & Mary in 1974. Glenn Close: A Life in Costume featured 19 selections from Close's personal costume collection. The 1717 Design Group was selected to design the exhibit fixtures and graphics. The exhibit consisted of ensembles worn by some of the most iconic characters from Close's career in film, theatre and television, including Norma Desmond (Sunset Boulevard), Albert Nobbs, Alex Forrest (Fatal Attraction), Cruella De Vil (101 and 102 Dalmatians) and Patty Hewes (Damages). Also on display were photographs and costumes from Glenn Close's time on stage while a theatre student at William & Mary. The exhibition opened on September 29, 2013 and ran through January 12, 2014.