Bizarre

Need An Artsy Halloween Costume Inspiration?

Magda Michalska 31 October 2021 min Read

Halloween’s coming! Have you got a costume already? Do you want to emphasize your passion for art but are bored with the usual Frida Kahlo unibrow? How about an artsy Halloween costume?

Dada-Costume

Hugo Ball reading
Hugo Ball reading Karawane at the Club Voltaire, 1916. Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Hugo Ball was an author and poet who founded the Dada movement in Zurich, Switzerland. In this photo you can see him dressed up in a ready-made-style costume, so typical for Dada artists! It’s definitely easy to make yourself with just a pair of scissors and some paper.

Bauhaus-Costume

Oscar Schlemmer, Triadic Ballet, 1916, artsy halloween costume
Oskar Schlemmer, Triadic Ballet, 1920s. Messy Nessy Chic.

Triadic Ballet (Triadisches Ballett) was a ballet performance developed by Oskar Schlemmer in 1922, a German artist associated with Bauhaus school. This was an avant-garde form of dance that promoted the ideals of the Bauhaus. The performance was described by the artist as: “artistic metaphysical mathematics.”

Klimt-Costume

Pauline Hamilton's photograph of Gustav Klimt, ca. 1909, artsy halloween costume
Gustav Klimt in a painting robe, ca. 1909. Photo by Pauline Hamilton.

Iconic Austrian painter Gustav Klimt is captured in this photograph wearing his characteristic robe. Simple, but classy, isn’t it?

Lautrec-Costume

Henri de Tolouse- Lautrec, photo taken by Maurice Guibert ca. 1890s, artsy halloween costume
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, ca. 1890s. Photo by Maurice Guibert.

French artist, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec had quite a sense of humor! Here you can see him dressed as a clown – as far as Halloween costumes go, this one may not be scary but is definitely entertaining!

Surrealist-Costume

René Magritte, 1965, artsy halloween costume
René Magritte, 1965. The Art Story.

René Magritte‘s iconic hat can easily be recognized by most. Therefore, if you’re a minimalist, you can just to a Halloween party wearing only a suit and an upside-down hat!

Abramović-Costume

Marina Abramović, Portrait with Scorpion (Closed Eyes), 2005, artsy halloween costume
Marina Abramović, Portrait with Scorpion (Closed Eyes), 2005. Twitter.

This one might be harder to guess! Only seasoned Marina Abramović fans might recognize this Halloween costume, or just a Halloween prop…

Cremaster-Costume

Matthew Barney, Cremaster 4, 1994. Still image, artsy halloween costume
Matthew Barney, Cremaster 4, 1994. Still Image.

Why not become a cremaster muscle from Mathew Barney’s The Cremaster Cycle? The American visual artist created this series of five feature-length films that refer to themes of human biology and procreation.

Hope we sparked your imagination with this selection of Halloween costumes inspired by art history! How about you? Would you wear one of these?

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