Located in the heart of Beach Drive, The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) is home to famous works by Monet, Morisot, O’Keeffe, and for a short time…George Lucas. This November, Star Wars™ and the Power of Costume, a special exhibit developed by the Smithsonian Institute Traveling Exhibition Service, in partnership with the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, is coming to St. Pete’s MFA. The exhibit will feature costume designs that took Lucas’ vision for the world of Star Wars and brought it to life in three dimensions.
Announced on May 4th (known as Star Wars Day), the exhibit will feature more than 60 original costumes from the Star Wars movies, both old and new. It will also feature concept drawings of the costumes, allowing viewers to explore the creative process behind them. Iconic costumes, such as the yak hair costume of Chewbacca, the robes of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker, and the intimidating armor suits of Darth Vader and the Imperial Stormtroopers will be among the impressive collection. Also on display with be the intricately detailed gowns of Queen Amidala and her servants, as well as the gold bikini of Princess Leia.
Though one might not traditionally associate Star Wars with fine art, there is no denying that Lucas and his costume designers masterfully built a Star Wars universe, complete with characters of various social strata, extra-human races, and far off planets. The tale was woven in large part by the iconic dress of its many characters – including the fear-inspiring, darkly armored suit and breathing apparatus of Darth Vader.
This exhibit has traveled to cities such as New York and Seattle, and currently resides in the Denver Art Museum, where it has seen multi-day sell-out attendance. According to the MFA’s press release, members will receive one free admission to Star Wars™ and the Power of Costume November 11th-12th, during their Members-Only Opening Weekend.
Tickets go on sale to public on October 19th. To reserve yours or to find out more information, please visit: http://mfastpete.org/exh/star-wars/
