Dilys Blum, the longtime curator of fashion and textiles at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, has died at age 77. She retired last summer after 38 years at the museum, where she served as head of the costumes and textiles department, overseeing the care and interpretation of historic clothing and fabric-based art. Blum began her career at the Museum of London, later working at the Brooklyn Museum and the Chicago Conservation Center before joining the Philadelphia Museum in 1987. She curated notable exhibitions including "Off the Wall" (2019) and "BOOM: Art and Design of the 1940s" (2025), and authored several books on fashion history, including works on Elsa Schiaparelli, Roberto Capucci, and Patrick Kelly.
Blum's work mattered because she expanded the definition of what belongs in an art museum, elevating fashion and textiles as vital expressions of culture and identity. Her exhibitions demonstrated how clothing reflects major artistic movements and political shifts, bridging the gap between fine art and material culture. Her legacy includes a deeper appreciation for textile art and costume as serious subjects of scholarly and curatorial attention within major art institutions.