(Doylestown, PA) Grace Kelly once said, “I avoid looking back. I prefer good memories to regrets.” Good memories continue in her name at the Michener Art Museum, where record-breaking crowds have been drawn to From Philadelphia to Monaco: GRACE KELLY– Beyond the Icon, on view through January 26.
The excitement began with the red carpeted opening gala attended by Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II (Grace Kelly’s son) and Princess Charlene of Monaco October 26, along with Pennsylvania’s First Lady Susan Corbett, members of the Michener Board of Trustees, major donors and Friends of Grace and special guest performer Leslie Odom Jr., who sang an array of standard classics and a single from his upcoming debut album. Odom was a 2002 Princess Grace Foundation-USA Award winner for Theater Scholarship, and most recently played Sam on the NBC musical drama series Smash. The Princess Grace Awards continues her legacy by recognizing outstanding emerging artists in the performing arts: theater, dance, film, playwriting and choreography. (For more information about the Princess Grace Awards, please visit www.pgfusa.org.)
“Opening the Grace Kelly exhibit with the participation and heartfelt expressions of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene truly makes this exhibit legendary,” says Michener Director & CEO Lisa Tremper Hanover. “We are deeply honored by their encouragement and endorsement of our presentation. It is very timely and relevant for the Michener, located so close to her family roots and beginnings, to recognize the depth and breadth of Grace Kelly’s life and career.”
Tuesday, November 12, would have been Grace Kelly’s 84th birthday. One way to pay tribute to her legacy and learn more about her life and heritage is by visiting the Michener Art Museum’s From Philadelphia to Monaco: GRACE KELLY– Beyond the Icon. The exhibition reveals the real woman behind the fairytale glamour. The Michener is the only U.S. destination to host this exhibition.
The exhibition immerses visitors in the world of Grace Kelly as they discover the life and legacy of the Oscar®-winning American actress and Princess of Monaco through costumes, designer wardrobe pieces, personal letters and memorabilia, film clips, and archival documents collected throughout her life. This installation reveals Princess Grace to be a woman of substance, style and compassion.
From Philadelphia to Monaco: GRACE KELLY– Beyond the Icon, is presented by the PNC Arts Alive initiative that is funded by the PNC Foundation. Generous support is provided by Visit Bucks County, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco and the Princess Grace Foundation-USA. Additional support is provided by the Consulate General of Monaco in New York/Monaco Government Tourist Office, Fox Rothschild LLP, Macy’s, Thompson Lexus and the members of the Friends of Grace. The exhibition is produced by the Grimaldi Forum Monaco and the McCord Museum, based on a display at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
The James A. Michener Art Museum is located at 138 South Pine St., Doylestown, PA. The exhibit will be open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday noon-5 p.m. and Thursday evenings until 8:30 p.m. for the duration of the exhibition. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. For more information, visit www.MichenerArtMuseum.org or call 215-340-9800.
