TZAIMS' BLOG: March 2013

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

COSTUME INSTITUTE COLLECTION

TZAIMS LUKSUS

GREEK PRINTS ON SILK

FOR

JAMES GALANOS 1968.

In 1968 Tzaims Luksus presented a special group of prints based upon antique Greek art to James Galanos. Both parents of James Galanos were of Greek origin, however James himself was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Of the group of 29 Greek prints created by Luksus Galanos chose them all and it was historically the largest group of prints ever used in one collection by any haute couture designer anywhere in the world and what made it even more incredible was the fact that all the silk prints came from one fashion/fabric designer Tzaims Luksus an American artist/haute couture/fabric designer. Luksus decided that Bianchini-Ferier in Lyon and Paris should print them on silks chosen by Galanos since Luksus had given up his printing studio in Vermont and Galanos preferred French silks over any others made in the world and special colours were created in order to fit into his image for their use in his Spring 1969 collection that would be held in the Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel in New York City. The reception of this press opening was sensational and Greek prints were copied all over the world, including haute couture designers in Paris, Milan, London and Rome. Today these Greek Prints of Tzaims Luksus are finding their way into museums and the one above based upon the Caryadid columns of the Erectheum on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece is in the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a gift of James Galanos. Other Greek Prints by Luksus for Galanos are showing up in Auction Galleries around the world today. The collection of Greek Prints by Luksus also included scarves. Some square and some narrow and long.