Hometown Celebrity: Lynda Benglis – Lake Charles Born Artist Influencing Luxury Fashion

by Kerri Cooke

In 2026, Lynda Benglis’ Art is as Relevant as Ever Lake Charles Born Artist Influencing Luxury Fashion

Lynda Benglis was born October 25, 1941, in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

She attended McNeese State University and eventually graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Newcomb College in New Orleans after studying painting and ceramics. (Newcomb College was the women’s branch of Tulane University.)

Benglis then taught third grade in Jefferson Parish before moving to New York where she would meet other artists, such as Andy Warhol. She continued her education at Brooklyn Museum Art School. She has used mediums such as polyurethane, gold leaf, zinc and aluminum and later did metal casting. At 84 years old, she is still inspiring art today.

If you follow fashion designer Jonathan Anderson’s career, previously at Loewe and now for his self-named brand, Jonathan Anderson, and Dior, you’ll know he is known for being playful with his designs. They are wearable art—just take his famous balloon shoes for Loewe which consisted of a heel in the form of a semi-deflated balloon. Many of his pieces can be considered surrealist or avant-garde.

Anderson has not been shy about his love for art or its impact on his work. In fact, he has been inspired by sculptor Lynda Benglis, originally of Lake Charles, in several of his collections already. For the men’s Loewe spring/summer ’24 show, Anderson places some of Benglis’ sculptures on the runway. For the Loewe women’s spring/summer ‘24 collection not only were Benglis’ sculptures featured, she and Anderson collaborated on the jewelry for the collection with pieces being inspired by Benglis’ designs. Benglis has said, “Jewelry is the first thing I noticed when I was a kid. And that led me into making art.” Anderson said of their collection, “Every piece is like a miniature wearable version of one of her sculptures.”

Now, Benglis has been the inspiration for Anderson’s haute couture fall/winter ’26-’27 collection for Dior. The show took place in Musée Rodin in Paris, France, and featured clothing interpreted through the lens of Benglis’ practice of making 3D objects using knotting and pleating. In fact, one of the staples of the collection, a silver pleated and knotted dress was in the style of “Toyopet Crown,” made by Benglis in 1989. Sculptures are tactile objects and the clothing in this collection appears to be as well. Other pieces in the show are tied to Benglis’ experiences while in Ahmedabad, India. (These are your more colorful and beaded items.) The Musée Rodin hosted a “Grammer of Forms” exhibition after the show which displayed the clothing alongside some of Benglis’ sculptures.

Benglis’ works are on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., with pieces frequently shown in rotating exhibits around the world. She also has a number of steel sculptures at the Imperial Calcasieu Museum, which have graced the grounds since 1992.