Callas at La Scala: Costumes for Ifigenia, Amina, Anna, Fiorilla

January 21 - March 21, 2026

For the first time ever in the United States — six opera costumes created for the renowned performer Maria Callas from Teatro alla Scala in Milan will be shown in the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery. These represent "La Divina" in four memorable roles: Ifigenia in Ifigenia in Tauride, Amina in La Sonnambula, Anna in Anna Bolena, and Fiorilla in Il Turco in Italia. The travel of these costumes to the United States represents a joint effort between the Italian Cultural Institute of Washington and the Embassy of Greece.

To tell the story of the collaboration between the incomparable Callas and the artistry of designers Nicola Benois and Piero Tosi as well as the famed director Franco Zeffirelli, the exhibition displays images of costume sketches by the designers with photographs of Callas in the costumes. Each costume is set against a backdrop design for its respective opera.  The costumes and their supporting images were chosen by Caterina d’Amico and all of the images are courtesy of Teatro alla Scala.

All of the images are tied together by research and writing by students studying in the Corcoran Theater and Dance department under the guidance of Professor Tanya Williams Wetenhall. Her students researched Callas, Benois, Tosi, and Zeffirelli along with the four operas and wrote text that was turned into the label text for this exhibition.  The exhibition will continue to be tied into the curriculum of the Corcoran School of Arts & Design during the Spring semester.

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Support for this exhibition is provided by the following:

Director's Discretionary Fund

Frances and Leonard Burka Fund for the Arts

Friends of the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery

Image: Maria Callas in Ifigenia in Tauride (detail.) Image courtesy of Teatro alla Scala