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Dream Suits: Designs by Nudie Cohn Featuring the Collection of Bobbejaan Schoepen

This exhibition examined the work of Nudie Cohn, the Rodeo Tailor and his relationship with Bobbejaan Schoepen, the Belgian musician, entertainer and theme park owner who was a customer and friend of Nudie’s from the late 1960s. The exhibition introduced a significant collection of Nudie designed clothing, cars and saddles into the public domain. It examined the crossover appeal of Nudie’s designs, moving them beyond the notional and literal American West within which critiques of his work have ordinarily been situated. For the Belgian audience it provided new perspectives on the international significance of Bobbejaan. METHODOLOGY - Archive development - this collection was identified, restored and archived by the curator and co-curator - A theoretical framework that drew upon material culture methodologies was used to analyse the collection and extract cultural evidence from the objects within the archive. - Oral testimony – semi-structured interviews were conducted with Bobbejaan’s widow, Josee, and his children, all of whom knew Nudie. CONTEXT - it was the first exhibition dedicated to Nudie’s work within Europe - It had 55 000 visitors, a record number for the gallery - it debuted a previously untapped collection of Nudie designs. - It is the largest collection of its kind in Europe and analysis of the objects contained therein shed new light on Nudie’s business practice, his relationship with customers beyond America and the tastes of Bobbejaan. - The artist Alice Hawkins produced a film in response to the collection and the exhibition, which was debuted on Nick Knight’s SHOWStudio on October 28th to coincide with the opening of the exhibition. - There was considerable press coverage. These articles include the cover and an eight-page article in Weekend Knack, a Belgian broadsheet lifestyle magazine; New York Times online; and L’Officiel Singapore - The exhibition will tour in 2014