Solid Gold

As a material and a colour, gold symbolises beauty, honour, joy, ritual, spirituality, success, and wealth throughout history. It also takes on myriad forms: from millennia-old depictions of an idealised world to opulent 13th- and 14th-century Italian altarpieces and intricate Japanese screens, to contemporary artwork and haute couture marvels. With a sweeping range of objects and a global perspective, this exhibition traces the many odysseys of the metal that shapes cultures and legacies worldwide.

Opening on the occasion of the Brooklyn Museum’s 200th anniversary, Solid Gold features more than 500 works, pairing showpieces from the collection with remarkable international loans. The fashion world’s embrace of gold appears in standout designs by Anna Sui, Christian Dior, Demna, Gianfranco Ferré, Giorgio di Sant’Angelo, Halston, Mary McFadden, The Blonds, Walter Van Beirendonck, and Yves Saint Laurent. Gold-ground paintings and sculptures, coins, and other treasures sparkle alongside jewellery by Alexander Calder, Belperron, Cartier, Charles Loloma, Jacob & Co., and Verdura – as well as grillz by Gabby Elan. While celebrating the seductive magic of this luminous material, the exhibition also confronts darker histories, inviting frank discussions about the human and environmental costs of extracting gold ore from the earth.