Newly opened on July 5th, the Bikini Art Museum is the world's first museum dedicated to the worldwide culture of bikini and is located in Bad-Rappenau, southern Germany.
At the Museum there are more than 400 bikinis on display dated from 1870 to the present day, including bikinis that were used by Marilyn Monroe, Scarlett Johansson, Eva Green, Esther Williams and Joan Collins. The museum also features 12 of the 16 original costumes by French designer Louis Réard, the bikini inventor, displayed in 1946 at the Piscine Molitor in Paris.
All of the pieces on display were selected from the 1,200 bathing suits collection by Ghislaine Rayer, the museum's curator, which includes pieces worn by Hollywood personalities, models and stars who wore them by the pool in the 1950s. The museum was co-founded by German businessman Alexander Ruscheinsky, alongside Rayer, who co-wrote a book on bikini culture, "Bikini, la Légende".
Among the designers exhibited at the Bikini Art Museum, there are pieces by Christian Dior, Coco Chanel and Pucci, in addition to Brazilian designers who have an exclusive room for Brazilian beachwear. In this space, videos from Rio de Janeiro and Búzios show the Brazilian beach lifestyle, bringing images of pieces from renowned brands, such as Lenny Niemeyer, Salinas, Triya, Bumbum Ipanema, Blueman, Rosa Chá and Adriana Degreas.
