This time last week, the Metropolitan Museum of Art closed its doors to the Costume Institutes 'Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty' exhibition '. 661,509 visitors made this the eighth most visited exhibition in the museums history.
I was lucky enough to be there on May 4th when it was first opened to the public.
Below is a review piece I wrote; written and reviewed in the style of AnOther Magazine, for my university Publications project.
Other worlds
Alexander McQueen
The late designer,
is brought to life at The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
in New York City
Alexander McQueen created stories; from England’s rape on Scotland, to a primitive focus on the food chain and a final collection based on a place where humanity no longer exists, McQueen’s ‘confessional poetry’, as it has been duly described, intended anything but sweet affectations. “I’m a romantic schizophrenic” he said, a designer who intended his collections “not to wow the crowd during a show, but because I love it.” ‘Savage Beauty’ is the fitting title of the new retrospective showcasing the works of Alexander McQueen, only 14 months after his death. So soon after his passing meant this exhibition held very raw memories, contributors and collaborators including Sarah Burton, Daphne Guinness and Andrew Bolton (curator) were held together by the ever present voice of Lee Alexander McQueen.
The exhibition, which opened at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City this week, has already seen thousands of people wander through its sectioned features; curator Andrew Bolton has organised the designers collections and pieces into seven ‘Romantic’ associated parts - Mind, Gothic, Nationalism, Exoticism, Primitivism, Naturalism and a ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ - whether to appreciate his work, or in an attempt to find out more about the ‘tortured soul’ who committed suicide in February 2010, the showcase has certainly provoked curiosity.
The exhibition itself felt extremely alive, despite the faceless, austere mannequins, the mood wasn’t always melancholic, there was an atmosphere of amazement and appreciation, the pieces on display were not just ‘fashion’, for McQueen fashion was just the medium, and as a result, something altogether quite fanciful is showcased here. Medical slides, antelope horns, duck plumage and human hair are just some of the unconventional materials that will continue to baffle onlookers after they have left, except, this time the intrigued will have a more learned understanding of the mind behind the creations.Whatever the opinion, McQueen proved that something is beautiful because it is driven by subjective perceptions of the individual, not by objective assessments of appearance.
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| 'Cabinet of Curiosities' |
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| Romantic Nationalism |
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| Romantic Exoticsim |
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| Romantic Primitivism |
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| Plato's Atlantis |
