National Gallery of Victoria: ‘Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse’
The National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne is displaying the first major exhibition exploring the work of boundary-pushing British fashion designer Alexander McQueen in Australia. ‘Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse’ runs until April 16 and offers an “unprecedented insight into the mind of this seminal designer,” featuring more than 120 looks alongside 80 historical artworks including paintings, sculptures and photography that inspired or influenced his designs.
The exhibition is split into four themes: Mythos, Fashioned Narratives, Evolution and Existence, and Technique and Innovation, with McQueen’s designs, juxtaposed alongside artworks to offer a new perspective on the late designer’s artistic process.
Highlights include some of the designer’s earliest and most acclaimed collections, including the controversial ‘Highland Rape’ (autumn/winter 1995–1996) and the poetic ‘The Widows of Culloden’ (autumn/winter 2006–2007), which both take inspiration from McQueen’s ancestry and Scottish history. The exhibition also includes in-depth presentations of ‘Deliverance’ (spring/summer 2004) and his final complete collection, ‘Plato’s Atlantis’ (spring/summer 2010).
Alexander McQueen exhibition opens in Australia
The first major Australian exhibition exploring the work of boundary-pushing British fashion designer Alexander McQueen has opened at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia.
‘Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse,’ organised by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), offers an “unprecedented insight into the mind of this seminal designer,” across four themes: Mythos, Fashioned Narratives, Evolution and Existence, and Technique and Innovation.
The exhibition, running until April 16, 2023, showcases more than 120 looks by McQueen, drawn from the LACMA’s and the NGV archive, as well as key loans from designer Katy England’s personal archive, which are presented alongside more than 80 historical artworks including painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts and works on paper that inspired and influenced his designs.
This unique collection features standout pieces of menswear and womenswear, jewellery and accessories from throughout Alexander McQueen’s celebrated career, reflecting the V&A’s rich and long-lasting relationship with McQueen and his work.
