Earthly Delights: Judith Leiber Handbags "Gardens & Flowers"

Judith Leiber (born Judith Peto in Budapest, Hungary, in 1921) created exquisitely designed couture women’s accessories that blurred the boundaries between function and art. Most known for her semi-precious adorned minaudières or compact occasion cases, her oeuvre included day bags, belts and pillboxes. After a lifetime of creating whimsical and luxurious handbags, Judith Leiber passed away on April 28, 2018 at her home in Springs, New York.

The Leiber bags on view in the Shaftman Gallery are the result of the immense philanthropic generosity of a Roanoke-based couple, Sydney and Rosalie Krisch Shaftman.

Sydney gave his wife Rosalie a Leiber minaudière in the 1980s, which began the impetus for a collection that resulted in a gift of nearly 120 minaudières and pillboxes to the Taubman Museum of Art from 2005 to 2008.

Leiber's designs ranged from the abstract to the whimsical, and the bags on display highlight her interest in floral and vegetable garden-inspired elements.

Considered one of the largest repositories of Judith Leiber bags in the United States, the Taubman Museum of Art is deeply indebted to the Shaftmans for their incredible generosity. Named in the donors’ honor, the Rosalie K. and Sydney Shaftman Gallery is a favorite for visitors.