Six stage costumes worn by Maria Callas during her years at Teatro alla Scala are on display in the United States for the first time, in an exhibition at George Washington University’s Luther W. Brady Art Gallery in Washington DC that runs until 21st March.
The costumes, which belong to Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, represent Callas in four roles: Ifigenia in Ifigenia in Tauride, Amina in La Sonnambula, Anna in Anna Bolena, and Fiorilla in Il Turco in Italia. Their journey to the United States was made possible through a joint effort between the Italian Cultural Institute of Washington and the Embassy of Greece.
The exhibition places each costume against an enlarged scenic sketch used as a backdrop for the respective opera, and is accompanied by costume designs by Nicola Benois and Piero Tosi, photographs of Callas in performance, and recordings of her singing each role. The selection of costumes and images was made by Caterina d’Amico of the Franco Zeffirelli Foundation, with all images courtesy of Fondazione Teatro alla Scala. The work of directors Franco Zeffirelli and Luchino Visconti, both central figures in Callas’s career at La Scala, is also documented throughout.
The interpretive labels accompanying the exhibition were written by students in the Costume History programme at GW’s Corcoran School of Arts and Design, under Professor Tanya Williams Wetenhall, whose students researched Callas, the designers, and each of the operas featured.
Callas at La Scala: Costumes for Ifigenia, Amina, Anna, Fiorilla is free and open to the public, Wednesday to Saturday between 13:00 and 17:00, until 21st March 2026.
Callas maintained a deep personal connection to Monaco throughout her life. She once said of the Principality, “Monaco is the only place where I can rest,” and in 1960 she performed at a gala hosted by Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace at the Salle Garnier — a night the Principality has since honoured with an annual gala held in her name.
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Callas at La Scala, photo credit: Hanna Leka