The Aran jumper. Image courtesy of the National Museum of Ireland.
An Aran jumper from the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life, at Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, is to feature in a new exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. The history and impact of the Aran jumper will be explored in Items: Is Fashion Modern?, alongside a host of well-known fashion designs such an example of the biker jacket from the 1950s; a Wonderbra; a Birkin bag; a 1960s Breton shirt; a pair of Levi’s 501 jeans from the 1940s; and a collection of Little Black Dresses. The exhibition is due to open in the autumn.
The jumper is a cream, knitted piece from 1940 made from a heavy, scoured wool. The patterns are different front and back. The centre panel on one side has a diamond stitch and the centre of the other side consists of a trellis openwork pattern with bobbles. It is currently being prepared by the conservation team at the National Museum of Ireland to be transported to MoMA ahead of the exhibition opening on October 1. According to MoMA, each of the 111 items explored in the exhibition were selected because they have had a “profound impact on the world over the last century”.