PALMER hosted two film screenings this month, one devoted to Marilyn Minter and the continuation of its Women in Art series, the other launching PALMER’s new Fashion Documentary Film series with a SCAD-produced documentary on the life of the late style icon André Leon Talley.
The first unfolded on February 11 in conjunction with The Norton Museum of Art, where Pretty/Dirty: The Life and Times of Marilyn Minter lit up the screen and the room. Fast-paced and unapologetically bold, the documentary moves through nearly five decades of Minter’s career, from her early photographic work to the hyper-saturated, sensuously charged paintings that made her one of the most provocative and consequential voices in contemporary art.
Minter was present for a conversation following the screening, joined by film directors Jennifer Ash Rudick and Amanda M. Benchley, with executive producer Sue Hostetler moderating. The all-women panel touched on subjects ranging from censorship and the art market’s complicated relationship with outspoken female artists, to the sheer tenacity it takes to sustain a career on your own terms for half a century.
Marilyn Minter photographing Jane Fonda in her studio. Courtesy of Pretty Dirty: The Life and Times of Marilyn Minter
A week later, PALMER introduced its Fashion Documentary Film series with a screening of André Leon Talley: Style Is Forever, produced by Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), to a sold out audience at Palm House.
Popcorn and sodas in hand, they watched a film that revisits Talley’s singular career at Vogue, his towering influence across the fashion world, and the warmth, wit, and force of personality that made him irreplaceable. The post-screening conversation with SCAD President Paula Wallace, fashion icon Veronica Webb, author Simon Doonan, and PALMER Editorial Director Stefano Tonchi centered on the themes closest to Talley’s heart: mentorship, education, and what it means to give younger generations a seat at the table.
Simon Doonan, Veronica Webb, Paula Wallace, Stefano Tonchi
Both evenings underscored a shared emphasis on conviction and mentorship: Minter’s refusal to soften her work, and Talley’s insistence on making space for the next generation. Together, the screenings reflect PALMER’s continued investment in cultural programming, with the Women in Art series continuing to grow, bringing together artists, collectors, and cultural figures shaping the art world today, and the inaugural edition of the PALMER Fashion Documentary Film series, which will run for the next twelve months and bring an array of important fashion films and conversations to Palm Beach. With more to come on both fronts, stay tuned!