Every day, for the past four months, hundreds of people have walked into the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Melbourne to enter the world of iconic fashion designer Alexander McQueen (1969-2010).
They have not been disappointed.
Prints of photographs of backstage moments captured by British photographer Robert Fairer. The picture on the left features the designer
More than 120 garments and accessories have been painstakingly assembled for Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse, within the walls of Australia’s oldest gallery. The clothing pieces are accompanied by more than 80 historical artworks that inspired the maverick designer who was favoured by celebrities like Madonna, Lady Gaga, David Bowie and Naomi Campbell.
‘Mythos’ explores collections inspired by mythological and religious belief systems. These are from McQueen’s Untitled (Angels and Demons) (autumn-winter 2010-11) which were exhibited in a dark room with projections of fire and angel wings on the ceiling
The exhibition, which wraps up on April 16, 2023, ‘offers insight into McQueen's far-reaching sources of inspiration, his creative processes and capacity for storytelling’.
The exhibition is a collaboration between NGV and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
When NGV invited me to the exhibition’s finale week, I said aye even though I am no fashion buff. On April 7, I attended my first NGV Friday Nights, which allows you to enjoy the experience after-hours with music. It is also a sensory way to drink and eat your way through the exhibition and rendezvous with Melbourne’s flamboyant socialites. There’s a Moet Champagne Bar, fine wines from Yarra Valley and a kitchen that is serving English classics in celebration of McQueen’s childhood in east London (get crackling on that crispy pork belly).
NGV Friday Nights allows one to experience the exhibition after-hours with music and food
As you glide from one gallery room to the next, McQueen’s story flows seamlessly from one collection into another. From the poetic The Widows of Calloden (Autumn/Winter 2006-7) which condemns Britain’s violent colonial history to the iconic moment in his Spring/Summer 1999 show, where robots emerged to spray paint model Shalom Harlow’s strapless white dress.
Special mention must be made of Hollywood’s clothing and jewellery designer Michael Schmidt, who was commissioned to create around 15 headpieces for the McQueen exhibition.
L-R: McQueen’s designs juxtaposed with artworks and historical artefacts at the exhibition, and the cape, blouse and trousers from the Deliverance collection Spring/Summer 2004 on display (headpiece by Michael Schmidt)
It was a great loss to the world of fashion when Alexander Lee McQueen died by suicide in 2010 at the age of 40. Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse is a fitting tribute, as dramatic and different as London’s once brightest young star in the fashion galaxy.
Head here for more information about the ticketed event on the NGV website.
