Clothes make the man, or woman, of course, as the old saying goes. Rollins Museum of Art is illustrating that sentiment with examples through the ages in its current exhibition, “Manners of Dress.”

That exhibit is just one of several on view at the museum on the Rollins College campus in Winter Park. Among the current exhibitions: a nifty look at artwork from the Bloomsbury Group, the famed collective of progressive artists who lived in England in the early 20th century.

I was joined by curator Gisela Carbonell as I recently explored the galleries, filled with works from the museum’s extensive collection.

A selection of historic and artistic watch keys is on view at Rollins Museum of Art for the first time in more than a decade as part of the “Manners of Dress” exhibit. (Matthew J. Palm/Orlando Sentinel)

Among the items on display in “Manners of Dress” is a case full of artistic curiosities: the museum’s collection of rare watch keys from the 16th to 19th centuries. The decorative and practical items, used to wind pocket watches, were worn by their owners and indicated social status.

It’s the first time the watch keys have been on view at the museum in more than a decade, Carbonell said, and they exemplify what the “Manners of Dress” exhibition hopes to convey: how fashion, as viewed through art, has expressed social standing and societal expectations through the centuries.

“It’s a great way for visitors to think about an object that used to be utilitarian and what it signals about the person wearing it,” Carbonell said of the watch keys, which range from simple to highly ornate.

“Portrait of a Lady” dates from the 1620s, and the oil on canvas is attributed to Dutch artist Paulus Moreelse. Note how the woman’s dress conveys wealth — and that she’s not wearing a wedding ring. (Courtesy Rollins Museum of Art)

It’s easy to extrapolate that idea onto the exhibit’s paintings. A 19th-century president of Mexico sports an array of medals and awards to make himself look successful. An unmarried Dutch woman from the 1600s, perhaps advertising her desirability as a mate, wears luxurious clothing adorned with lace and jewels.

“Everything about her signals status and wealth,” Carbonell said.

Contemporary works point out how clothing can help define a society’s values. Allen Fireall’s “Mother Daughter Day” depicts southern Black women sporting colorful hats that signify faith, respect and heritage as they gather for a church service.

Other modern pieces dive into how clothes might affect our perception of women, such as Devorah Sperber’s “French Cut Bikini,” a star-spangled swimsuit made entirely out of map tacks. Ouch. Pretty to look at, perhaps, but painful to wear.

Shadows add to the moving simplicity of Yoan Capote’s “La Ausencia (Escuchando el Vacio)/The Absence (Listening to the Void),” on view at Rollins Museum of Art. The piece symbolizes the loss of Cubans who fled Castro’s regime. (Matthew J. Palm/Orlando Sentinel)

A large work by Matthew Brannon depicts the dressing table of first lady Jackie Kennedy, littered with a bottle of Chanel No. 5, a tub of Pond’s cold cream, a lipstick tube, a necklace. It, too, has something to say about how women can feel beholden to fashion.

“They’re the things part of a woman’s ritual for getting ready to go out into the world to fulfill the expectations of an audience,” Carbonell said.

But the piece that reached out to me — from across the room — is a 3D piece in bronze and steel by Cuban artist Yoan Capote. Titled “The Absence (Listening to the Void),” the artwork depicts a small, rudimentary closet with a row of empty hangers.

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It could have signified a momentous occasion ahead: Acquiring a new wardrobe, perhaps, or like TV’s Jeffersons, movin’ on up to bigger and better digs.

But even before I could read the title, I knew the work must actually depict something very sad. The artist intended it to represent the loss of the Cubans who fled Castro’s regime in search of a better life, Carbonell tells me. In fact, the bottom edges of the hangers are shaped like the Cuban coastline.

But this somber piece is open to more universal interpretations: Leaving a beloved home, perhaps, or cleaning out the closet of a deceased loved one.

“Our clothes can make a statement when they are there — or when they are not,” Carbonell observed.

The plainly named “Young Man in Blue Shirt” dates from 1928 and is by Bloomsbury Group artist Edward Wolfe. The oil on canvas is on view at Rollins Museum of Art. (Matthew J. Palm/Orlando Sentinel)

In an adjacent gallery, find “Portrait of a Movement: A New Approach to the Bloomsbury Group,” with works from a collective of artists who made a statement of their own.

The museum last year acquired a painting from a leading artist of the Bloomsbury Group, which pushed artistic and social modernism in a new direction in early 20th-century Britain — and interestingly in a different direction than the painters of continental Europe.

“They represent a different kind of modernism than what’s happening in Paris and other places,” Carbonell said. “These works reflect the relationships they had as friends, sometimes lovers, and their artistic collaborations.”

Roger Fry’s “Summer in the Garden,” depicting fellow Bloomsbury Group artist Vanessa Bell, is a 1911 oil on panel work, measuring 17.5-by-22 inches. It was purchased by the Rollins Museum of Art via the Michel Roux Acquisition Fund. (Matthew J. Palm/Orlando Sentinel)

The newest painting, “Summer in the Garden,” is by Roger Fry and shows his fellow artist Vanessa Bell, who also has works on view in the exhibit. Interestingly, “Summer in the Garden” complements an unfinished painting already in the Rollins collection, “Study of Vanessa Bell Reading.” In both, Bell is wearing the same striking orange and blue outfit.

The exhibit rounds up new scholarship on the Bloomsbury Group — and for good measure throws in a Picasso etching and Matisse woodblock print so you can see for yourselves how the Bloomsbury artists were following their own path.

At Rollins Museum of Art, “Portrait of a Movement: A New Approach to the Bloomsbury Group” contains not only paintings but also other artistic creations, such as a hand-printed book of 12 Roger Fry woodcuts (foreground). (Courtesy Cechman’s Photography via Rollins Museum of Art)

You can also hear directly from some of the artists themselves. Curatorial assistant Moriah Russo, who took the lead on researching this exhibit, obtained audio clips from Bloomsbury artists and their contemporaries. They can be heard as part of the audio guide.

And to learn even more, the museum will host Wendy Hitchmough, author of “Vanessa Bell: The Life and Art of a Bloomsbury Radical.” Hitchmough, emeritus senior lecturer at the University of Sussex, will give a free lecture and lead a question-and-answer session at 6 p.m. Nov. 18. Art lovers may attend in person or sign up at rollins.edu/rma/learn/lectures-tours to receive a link to watch the event online.

Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Find more entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment or sign up to receive our weekly emailed Entertainment newsletter.

If you go

What: Rollins Museum of Art
Where: Rollins College, 1000 Holt Ave. in Winter Park
When: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays, noon-5 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays
Cost: Free
Info: rollins.edu/rma

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/11/rollins-museum-of-art-dress-bloomsbury-exhibits/