EXHIBITIONS: Millennial Pink at the Williams College Museum of Art (and just about everywhere else)

What's the deal with pink, anyway?
 

When WAS it that pink, in its many manifestations, became the "it"

color in fashion design, room interiors, and even hair? Some think it got a boost from Wes Anderson’s star-studded 2014 movie The Grand Budapest Hotel, which 

"embodies a kind of arch retro-kitsch", and most of whose action takes place 

in the most flamboyantly pink building you'll ever see. 

Millenial Pink has been described variously as a

shade of "blush, rose, grapefruit, salmon, adult bubblegum, Barbie dolls or somewhere in between." According to Salon magazine, "It's like the untouched pink shelves of a girly childhood bedroom, covered in a thick film of dust. 

Pantone coined it Rose Quartz and named it Color of the Year in 2016, 

but the shade has been gaining momentum for years."

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Pink Art, currently on display at the Williams College Museum of Art, 

sets out to answer questions about a color that is arguably the

favorite of many and the most villified by many others:

"What happens when you see a museum’s collection through the lens of one color? And what happens when that color is pink, a hue rich in history, 

symbolism and cultural relevance?"

Love it or hate it, the color pink seems to have the ability to both soothe and stimulate, and exerts an outsize influence on our culture and imaginations.

If you're in the pink you're probably feeling mighty good,

but it would be hard to see the world through rose-colored glasses
if you've just received a pink slip.

You might be tickled pink if someone threw you a surprise

birthday party, but not so if you get so far into the pink (aka drunk)

that you start to see pink elephants. For little girls, pink has long been the 
color of choice -- romantic and exuberant -- but confident men have 
begun to embrace it too.

 

 

Below: Even Frank Lloyd Wright got into the act.
He seriously considered having his famed Guggenheim Museum
painted pink.

Frank Lloyd Wright Hated New York, Thought About Making the Guggenheim Pink

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If you've just about had it with pink, stay tuned.

Coming next: Gen Z Yellow! 

In contention for Pantone's 2018 Color of the Year:

Meadowlark (Pantone #13-0646)

"The bold and lively Meadowlark, a confident and outgoing bright yellow 

shade highlights the Spring 2018 season, glistening with joy and 

illuminating the world around us."

~oOo~

To read more on Mad for Mod about 

Pantone's Colors of the Year,

link here.