New York Fall 2026 Exhibitions Spotlight Women, Dolls, and Silent Film Fashion
In the fall of 2026, six exhibitions across New York museums will explore themes of girlhood, feminine self-expression, and often-ignored histories. The Jewish Museum presents "Modernity and Opulence: Women of the Wiener Werkstätte," featuring more than 200 pieces by Jewish women artists, running until November 15, 2026. The Museum at FIT will exhibit "Doll Dressing," showcasing over 170 dolls and outfits from designers such as Marc Jacobs, open until January 3, 2027. The Bard Graduate Center's "Goddesses in the Machine," which focuses on fashion in American silent films, is also available until January 3, 2027. The Brooklyn Museum will display over 120 Indigenous artworks from October 2, 2026, to April 18, 2027. Additionally, the American Folk Art Museum's "Locating Girlhood" runs from October 9, 2026, to February 28, 2027, and the Hispanic Society Museum & Library will feature an exhibition on the mantilla from November 20, 2026, to March 28, 2027.
Key facts
- "Modernity and Opulence: Women of the Wiener Werkstätte" at the Jewish Museum runs through November 15, 2026, with over 200 objects by Jewish women artists.
- The Museum at FIT's "Doll Dressing" (through January 3, 2027) features more than 170 objects, including garments by Marc Jacobs, Moschino, and Loewe.
- "Goddesses in the Machine" at the Bard Graduate Center (through January 3, 2027) is the first major exhibition on fashion in American silent film.
- The Brooklyn Museum (October 2, 2026–April 18, 2027) presents over 120 Indigenous artworks, including 53 kachina dolls, from the 19th century to the present.
- "Locating Girlhood" at the American Folk Art Museum (October 9, 2026–February 28, 2027) features nearly 100 works of early American needlework and ornamental arts.
- The Hispanic Society Museum & Library (November 20, 2026–March 28, 2027) hosts the first major museum exhibition devoted to the mantilla.
- Curator Carlos Usabiaga stated the mantilla exhibition reveals how a single garment illuminates Spain's political and artistic histories.
- The Jewish Museum exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna (MAK).
Entities
Artists
- Vally Wieselthier
- Josef Hoffmann
- Koloman Moser
- Adele Bloch-Bauer
- Gustav Klimt
- Jonathan Anderson
- Marc Jacobs
- Moschino
- Loewe
- Emily Adams Bode Aujla
- Anna Sui
- Jason Wu
- Olaf M. Brauner
- Irene Castle
- Henri Bendel
- Lucile, Lady Duff-Gordon
- Clare West
- Travis Banton
- Francisco de Goya y Lucientes
- Carlos Usabiaga
Institutions
- Jewish Museum
- Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
- Wiener Werkstätte
- Kunstgewerbeschule (School of Applied Arts)
- Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna (MAK)
- Museum at FIT
- Mattel
- Bard Graduate Center
- Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University
- Brooklyn Museum
- American Folk Art Museum
- Hispanic Society Museum & Library
- Vogue
Locations
- New York City
- United States
- Austria
- Vienna
- Paris
- France
- Hollywood
- California
- Hopi
- Arizona
- Newburyport
- Massachusetts
- Spain