Charles John Kleibacker

Charles John Kleibacker, Columbus Museum of Art Adjunct Curator of Design, renowned fashion designer, and master of the bias, died Sunday, January 3 at The Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio at age 88.

Born November 20, 1921 and brought up in the ready-to-wear department of his family’s department store in Cullman, Alabama, Charles Kleibacker earned a degree in journalism from the University of Notre Dame in 1943 and became a newspaper reporter before pursuing graduate studies in retailing at New York University. He subsequently worked as an advertising copywriter for De Pinna, a specialty store on Fifth Avenue in New York City before working for songwriter Anna Sosenko in the late 1940s. While on tour with Sosenko, who managed singer/entertainer Hildegarde, Kleibacker was introduced to many couture houses, including Dior’s house in Paris. In 1954, Kleibacker took a portfolio of his designs to Paris and landed a position as an assistant designer with Antonio del Castillo, then the head designer for Lanvin. In 1957, Kleibacker returned to New York where he worked as a freelance designer before becoming an assistant designer at Nettie Rosenstein, a well-established design house on Seventh Avenue. By 1960, Kleibacker had begun working on his own and opened KLEIBACKER studio in New York City. He soon became know as “the master of the bias” for his signature cut in women’s clothing, which encompassed simplicity, fit, and comfort. Kleibacker’s designs were critically acclaimed by the fashion media and attracted the attention of Women’s Wear Daily, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Town and Country. His off-the-rack designs could be found in such retailers as Bergdorf Goodman and Henri Bendel. Kleibacker's private clients included Mrs. Richard Nixon, Diahann Carroll, Rebekah Harkness, Mrs. Nelson Rockefeller, and Mrs. Alfred Drake.

In addition to his own design work, Kleibacker consulted on fabrics, design, and clothing construction and conducted workshops and accepted residencies at many colleges and universities. In 1984, Kleibacker came to Columbus, Ohio as a visiting professor in the Department of Textiles and Clothing at The Ohio State University. Kleibacker obtained garments for the Ohio State Collection from notable fashion icons including Brooke Astor, Jayne Wrightsman, Evangline Bruce, Pamela Harriman, Carroll Baker, and Austine Hearst. Anchoring the Collection was the important gift of the avante garde couture wardrobe of Isabel Eberstadt, a noted fashion style maker of the 1960s and 70s. As teaching and other activities in academia came to overshadow designing in his professional life, he closed his New York business in 1986. He became designer-in-residence at The Ohio State University in 1985 and remained on staff until 1995.

Kleibacker also became a curator, developing thirteen exhibition projects in central Ohio including Reel to Real: The Hollywood Designer After Film (Columbus Museum of Art, 1993), DRESSed-Up: Photography (Columbus Museum of Art, 1997), Couture/Ready-To-Wear (Columbus Museum of Art, 1998), Charles Kleibacker: Master of the Bias (Kent State University Paige Palmer Gallery, 2001), Not-So-Basic-Black: Powerful Presence in 20th Century Design (Columbus Museum of Art, 1993), In Black and White: Dress from the 1920s to Today (OSU Wexner Center for the Arts, 1992), Kleibacker: New York Designer to Ohio Curator (Ohio Art’s Council’s Riffe Gallery, 2009), Kleibacker’s CLASS ACT: Storied Designers/Women of Note (Columbus Museum of Art, 2009).

Kleibacker continued his curatorial activities since leaving OSU, working independently and since 2002 as adjunct curator of design at Columbus Museum of Art. He also continued his educational activities, through his relationship with Mount Mary College, Milwaukee, an adjunct professorship in Kent State University’s School of Fashion Design and Merchandising, and a 2001 teaching appointment at Columbus College of Art and Design. In 2009, he received the University of Notre Dame’s Rev. Anthony J. Lauck, C.S.C, Award for Fine Arts and Visual Arts in honor for his outstanding artistic accomplishments in the field of fashion design. Most recently, Kleibacker was asked to contribute his designs to The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s American Beauty: Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion exhibition which opened in New York City in November 2009.

Charles Kleibacker is survived by his sister Ruth Richard, his nephews John, Walter, Danny and Robert Richard and his niece Mrs. Ruth Anne Knight and their families, and his many friends and admirers. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to The Charles Kleibacker Endowed Fund for Excellence, Columbus Museum of Art, 480 East Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio, 43215. The fund was established in 2004 at the Columbus Museum of Art to honor his commitment to Columbus and to design. An event celebrating his life is planned for spring 2010.