Sunday, February 27, 2011

Savage Beauty: Alexander McQueen at the Met

Exciting news! The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will be exhibiting the work of Alexander McQueen from May 4 to July 31. It will be called "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty." There will be over 100 pieces, ranging from his 1994 Nihilism collection to his posthumous Angels & Demons.

Autumn/Winter 2010

What I think is great is this is not just a homage to a great designer; it is recognition that he was, above all things, an artist, and deserves to be celebrated as such.


Andrew Bolton, curator of the Costume Institute at the Met, said of McQueen that "[h]is fashions were an outlet for his emotions, an expression of the deepest, often darkest, aspects of his imagination. He was a true romantic in the Byronic sense of the word – he channeled the sublime." (From the Guardian article.)

Widows of Culloden, Autumn/Winter 2006-7
Irere, Spring/Summer 2003

The exhibition will begin with a gallery called "The Savage Mind," which will explore McQueen's subversion of traditional tailoring, while the other rooms will explore his fascination with Romantic literary topics like decay, death, and darkness.

The Horn of Plenty, Autumn/Winter 2009

Dante, Autumn/Winter 1996-7

Spring/Summer 2001

The preview of the exhibit was unveiled by Anna Wintour and Samantha Cameron at the Ritz, during London Fashion Week (slideshow of preview).

The memories of McQueen's death are still fresh, which adds to the immediacy and poignancy of the exhibit. Since McQueen hung himself in his London Flat on February 11, 2010, Sarah Burton has stepped up as creative director. Although there is no replacing McQueen, I feel she is doing well at carrying on the tradition of the line we all know and adore.

Sarabande, Spring/Summer 2007
Voss collection, Spring/Summer 2001


Images via Guardian.co.uk

7 comments:

Sarai said...

This is great news! Mcqueen was such an amazing designer.. I'm now following you :)

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xx http://beautyjusticehappiness.blogspot.com/

21W said...

What a great post! I love McQueen, his stuff is so different and artistic and always absolutely beautiful. I remember I saw a dress in Selfridges in London few years ago and absolutely fell in love with it (but I didn't buy it - there wasn't even a price tag - that's how expensive it was). It was a gown, like a wedding dress almost, but it had 'something' about it that I have never seen in any other piece of clothing before or since.. He was a real artist. Thanks for the post, I really enjoyed it.
Kat
www.21wblog.com

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The Cat Hag said...

This is going to be an amazing exhibition! Wish I could see it.

He was one of my favourite designers, loved his attention to detail and the dark beauty of his clothes.


xoxo,
Addie
The Cat Hag

Angel Garcia said...

I think everyone is extremely excited. I know that I will for sure be checking this out next month when it opens. Great post..

All the best, Angel

http://www.fashionablynumb.com

Monyka said...

That looks like such a great exhiition! Shame i'm not in New York. Lovely blog :)

monikaamour.blogspot.com

Kaja said...

Great post, I also posted about that :) cool blog! excited to read more! check out mine xx

http://la-fille-porcelaine.blogspot.com/