Alexander McQueen, Mind, Mythos, Muse Exhibition Review, NGV March 2023
Fascinated with Alexander McQueen, I have watched the McQueen documentary three times, and I feel a fourth round coming on.
Creativity ran through his veins, to a point where you could see it, more than pulsing, but forcing its way around his mind, behind his eyes, into his hands, then through his artwork. Again to emphasise art, above the conventional notion of fashion design. His collections take you beyond a piece you may aspire to wear, to a place, a time, and with strong feeling evoked. A feeling you know you’ve missed and longed for. Such is the art of Alexander McQueen.
With trepidation that the exhibition may not be broad enough, nor capable of doing the work justice, I took myself along to the NGV. In truth, to stand in close vicinity to anything touched by the man, would have been immensly gratifying.
Stunning! You are immediately drawn into the dark, provocative world of Alexander McQueen. Black walls, dimmed lights, projected images, accompanied by a beautifully eerie soundtrack, and you are transported.
The exhibition showcases more than 120 garments and accessories, which are paired with art works of direct or suggested influence. McQueen’s influences were broad, and the curation does well to group together collection pieces with reference points.
An avid reader of history books, consumer of vintage cinema, and lover of classical music, these influences shine through the rough and tumble of modern culture and style
SCOTTISH HERITAGE
McQueen grew up in London and was the son of English parents, however he traced his family ancestry back to the isle of Skye and the Jacobite rebellion. His fascination with all things Scottish was evident in multiple collections and his personal tartan attire. My own Scottish heritage connected me deeply with several pieces from “The Widows of Culloden” collection.
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force on Drummossie Moor near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. It was the last pitched battle fought on British soil.
Featured collections
McQueen created prolifically from his graduation collection in 1992 titled “Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims,” to the final “Plato’s Atlantis” launched late 2009, just months prior to his death in February 2010. In total, he released 36 collections, which equates to two significant bodies of work, every year of his illustrious career.
Garments from the following collections are featured in the Exhibition:-
- The Untitled (Angels and Devils) (2010) *named posthumously
- Plato’s Atlantis (2010)
- The Horn of Plenty (2009)
- The Girl Who Lived in the Tree (2008)
- In Memory of Elizabeth Howe (2007)
- Sarabande (2007)
- Neptune (2006)
- The Widows of Culloden (2006)
- Deliverance (2004)
- Scanners (2003)
- The Dance of the Twisted Bull (2002)
- Eye (2000)
MEANINGFUL MILLINERY
Famed London stylist, Isabella Blow, played a significant role in McQueen’s life, as friend, business associate, and muse. Largely responsible for his catapult to notoriety, Blow purchased McQueen’s entire debut collection. With much interest and admiration for ‘Issie’ I was heart poundingly thrilled to find one of her iconic hats, created by milliner Phillip Treacy, on display.
McQueen was introduced to Phillip Treacy in 1992 by Blow, and he once said of Isabella “If you were in her focus, she made you feel like you could do anything. She gave Alexander the confidence to be the person he was.”
The exhibition did the great ‘Lee’ proud. Loud music, projections, and the inclusion of correlating sculpture, tapestries, and paintings, make the show a truly immersive experience.
Congratulations to the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) for a marvellous retrospective.
