Tuesday, March 19, 2024

‘Demanding Diva’ André Leon Talley Makes Exhibit Staffer Cry

causes uproar *Former Vogue editor-at-large André Leon Talley reportedly made life hell for the staffers at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, ahead of the debut of “The Glamour and Romance of Oscar de la Renta” exhibit.

The exhibit opened over the weekend — but its main curator is making all the headlines for reportedly demanding that nobody look him in the eye and even making one ­employee cry.

“André is being a diva to everyone,” says one source. “He has been at odds with curator Cindi Strauss, telling her what to do — while he rides around the entire museum in his motorized wheelchair. It got so bad he even made her cry . . . yes, CRY.”

Famed socialite and philanthropist Lynn Wyatt saw the exhibit at San Francisco’s de Young museum last year and brought it to the attention of museum director Gary Tinterow.

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Talley worked on the California show and has been given the title of “curator” in Houston. But a source tells Page Six, “He’s behaving like a diva, and let’s just say he’s not making any friends at the museum. He’s impossible. It’s embarrassing.”

The source continued, “He instructed the museum staff not to look him in the eyes. Even the people working alongside him . . . The funny thing was that most people at the museum had no clue who he was.”

The show includes works from de la Renta starting from the 1960s and features items from Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Amal Clooney’s wedding dress — the last bridal gown he designed before passing away from complications from cancer in 2014.

“It’s about beauty — a celebration of this great man’s life and I think it’s quite inspiring and wonderful,” Talley told WWD of the exhibition.

Museum director Gary Tinterow shared with Page Six, “It is unfortunate that a single source has attempted to tarnish the magnificent work that André Leon Talley has done for our museum. From our initial conversations about bringing this exhibition to Houston, to the finishing touches at the very last moment of the show’s preview, Mr. Talley has been a consummate professional, working tirelessly to honor the spirit and legacy of his friend Oscar de la Renta and challenging himself and all of us to imagine what could be achieved here. That is what a great curator does, and that is why we are so happy with his work in Houston.”

 

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