Curator Conversation | Brilliant by Design: The Handbags of Judith Leiber

Bridget Kerr leads a curator conversation at The Mint Museum Randolph on Friday, October 23, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM. Kerr is the curator of the exhibition Brilliant by Design: The Handbags of Judith Leiber and the author of its accompanying publication, and she'll be talking through the life and work of the designer the show celebrates.

Brilliant by Design brings together more than 100 of Leiber's handbags, shown alongside fashions from the museum's own collection. The focus is on the artistry, technical mastery, and imagination behind the pieces. Leiber is best known for her sculptural, whimsical bags covered in Swarovski crystals and inspired by animals and architecture, and the exhibition puts those on display.

Kerr's talk also looks at the story behind the work. Born Judith Petö in Budapest in 1921, Leiber came of age in a Europe shaped by rising antisemitism, which forced her to abandon her plan to study chemistry in London and enter the handbag guild instead—one of the few professional paths open to Jews in Hungary at the time. She started as the only female apprentice and worked her way up to master craftswoman, first in leather and later pioneering the metal minaudière in 1967. Kerr describes it as the story of how she survived the Holocaust to become one of America's most inventive handbag designers.

The conversation runs from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM at the Randolph location, and admission is free.