Arts & Culture

I went to see the Grace Kelly exhibition at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on King Street West (it is on until January 22).  I was surprised by how intimate a portrait of her it presented, with many of her personal possessions on display, from letters, home movies, clothing and jewellery to items from the public realm such as her film posters.  Luckily for her curious fans, Grace Kelly described herself as "…one of those people who keeps everything."  Growing up in Philadelphia, Grace Kelly knew by age 11 that she wanted to be an actress.  She performed on stage and then in films, and at age 25 won an Academy Award for playing Georgie Elgin in The Country Girl.  The dress (seen below) which she wore to accept that Academy Award is on display at the exhibition.

Examples of Grace Kelly's classic elegance are plentiful at this exhibition.  In 1955 Grace Kelly went with the famed Hollywood costume designer Edith Head to Paris to buy accessories at Hermès for Alfred Hitchcock's film, To Catch a Thief.  It was at Hermès that they bought the bag which became known as the Kelly bag, after Grace.

In May 1955 Grace Kelly attended the Cannes Film Festival and it was there, at a Paris Match photo shoot, that she met Prince Rainier of Monaco.  The following April, Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier at a lavish wedding ceremony in Monte Carlo.  Helen Rose designed her wedding dress, and an exact replica of it is on display, along with archival footage of both the religious and civil wedding ceremonies.

After her wedding, the now-Princess Grace's world became even more glamorous than that of a Hollywood film star.  In 1956 Van Cleef & Arpels became official jeweller to the Princely House of Monaco, and Princess Grace wore haute couture gowns.  There is a strikingly modern purple Givenchy evening dress on display, as well as a delicate blue chiffon Christian Dior evening gown, amongst other couture gowns and outfits.  Grace Kelly was nearsighted, and extended her style to her eyeglasses, which included several pairs by Oliver Goldsmith.

Princess Grace had a passion for pressing flowers and there are several large framed examples of her artwork.  She even wrote My Book of Flowers about flowers and her techniques.  The greatest treat in the exhibition for me, however, is at the end where home movies are shown of a relaxed and very happy Princess Grace with her family.