The Dayton Art Institute in Dayton,
Ohio will show the award-winning exhibition commemorating the life
of Diana, Princess of Wales this coming February. Diana,
A Celebration showcases 150
objects, including her royal wedding gown, 28 designer gowns, and personal
possessions. Letters and film footage from Diana’s childhood and
her adult life, paintings from the Althorp estate, and jewels from the
Spencer family collection will also be on display. The critically acclaimed
collection is on loan from the Althorp Estate, the Spencer family’s
500-year-old ancestral home. One gallery is devoted to Diana’s
charity advocacy.
Among the highlights of the exhibition is Diana’s wedding gown,
designed in 1981 by Elizabeth and David Emmanuel, including diamond tiara,
veil and 25 foot train, shoes and parasol, 28 dresses, suits and gowns
designed by personal friend Gianni Versace, Valentino, Chanel, and Azagury,
among others. Home movies, childhood toys, personal letters and family
photographs are also included.
For those with short memories, Diana’s funeral
at Westminster Abbey on September 6, 1997, was broadcast to more than
60 countries and had an estimated 2.5 billion viewers. Her image was
on the cover of People Magazine 52 times, Time and Newsweek 7 times each—and
all of these issues sold out. In June of 1997, at the suggestion of Prince
William, the Princess gave 79 dresses to be auctioned off in New York,
raising more than $7 million dollars for cancer and AIDS charities.
Diana, A Celebration has left Althorp
five times, having traveled to Japan, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Saint
Petersburg, Florida and Houston, Texas.