exhibition > Callas at La Scala: Costumes for Ifigenia, Amina, Anna, Fiorilla

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January 21 – March 21, 2026

Free and open to the public: Wednesday – Saturday, 1:00-5:00 pm
Closed on US Holidays and during GW School Breaks

For the first time in the United States, six original opera costumes created for Maria Callas at La Scala in Milan are being exhibited at the Brady Art Gallery.

Showcasing “La Divina” in four iconic roles, the exhibition is presented through a collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Washington, the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery and the Embassy of Greece, with the contribution of Fondazione Teatro alla Scala and Fondazione Zeffirelli Onlus.

Costume sketches by Nicolas Benois and Piero Tosi, along with rare photographs of Callas, accompany the display. The exhibition is enriched by research and writing from Corcoran Theater and Dance students under the guidance of Professor Tanya Williams Wetenhall and will remain integrated into the Spring semester curriculum. The costumes were graciously loaned by Fondazione Teatro alla Scala.

LOCATION
Luther W. Brady Art Gallery, Corcoran Flagg Building
500 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006

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To tell the story of the collaboration between the incomparable Callas and the artistry of designers Nicola Benois and Piero Tosi as well as the famed director Franco Zeffirelli, the exhibition displays images of costume sketches by the designers with photographs of Callas in the costumes. Each costume is set against a backdrop design for its respective opera.  The costumes and their supporting images were chosen by Caterina d’Amico (Zeffirelli Foundation Onlus) and all of the images are courtesy of Fondazione Teatro alla Scala.

All of the images are tied together by research and writing by students studying in the Corcoran Theater and Dance department under the guidance of Professor Tanya Williams Wetenhall.  Her students researched Callas, Benois, Tosi, and Zeffirelli along with the four operas and wrote text that was turned into the label text for this exhibition.  The exhibition will continue to be tied into the curriculum of the Corcoran School of Arts & Design during the Spring semester.

ABOUT THE LUTHER W. BRADY ART GALLERY

The Luther W. Brady Art Gallery is an educational art gallery whose mission to collect, preserve, and exhibit the George Washington University’s art collection is augmented by quality exhibitions of contemporary and historic art that activate and complement the GW Collection and reflect the greater Washington, D.C. region.

The Brady Art Gallery has staged groundbreaking solo exhibitions of artists such as Jules Olitski, Howard Hodgkin, and Sean Scully. Exhibitions such as Along the Eastern Road: Hiroshige’s Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido and The Art of Collection: Gifts of the Luther W. Brady Estate offer global visions. The Brady Art Gallery provides numerous opportunities for collaboration and integration into the university’s academic programs by working with students and the GW Collection.

The GW Collection, a dynamic and varied collection of over 5,000 works, has been growing since 1821 and serves curriculum-based learning and provides the basis for public programs for the wider community.  The addition of the Corcoran Study Collection has provided even more resources for the display and study of art in the Corcoran Flagg building to engage with students and faculty.