Friends of the FIDM Museum gathered at the Los Angeles campus Thursday night to celebrate the opening of our newest exhibition, Inspired Eye: The Donald and Joan Damask Design Collection at the FIDM Museum. 

Donald Damask, Joan Damask, Associate Curator Christina Johnson, and Curator Kevin Jones

Donald and Joan Damask have devoted their lives to creating and collecting outstanding design. Their professions have focused on luxury marketing and fashion design; a shared collecting vision serves as inspiration for this work and resonates with the couple’s personal aesthetic. 

Garments by Claire McCardell, Vivienne Westwood, and more are on display 

This exhibition presents an overview of the Damask’s important gift to the FIDM Museum, including historic avant-garde fashion and world dress; limited edition art books; seminal images by high-fashion photographers Willy Maywald (1907–85) and Horst P. Horst (1906–99); photographs, sketches, and books by artist-aesthete Cecil Beaton (1904–80); and theatrical designs by Erté (Romain de Tirtoff, 1892–1990).

Willy Maywald photos of gowns by Christian Dior, Madame Gres, and other couture legends

Inspired Eye is open to the public until December 19th, Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm (closed July 3rd, 4th, and 18th). Admission to our galleries is always free. Be sure to visit the FIDM Museum shop for books and gifts related to the exhibition!