Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty in London goes to London

This exhibit is the largest retrospective of the work of Alexander McQueen and shows his visionary body of work. Covering Alexander McQueens career from his 1992 MA graduate collection to his unfinished A/W 2010 collection. The V&A Victoria and Albert Museum announced that ‘McQueen’s designs will be presented with the dramatic staging and sense of spectacle synonymous with his runway shows’.

Butterfly headdress of hand-painted turkey feathers. Philip Treacy for Alexander McQueen, La Dame Bleue, Spring/Summer 2008. Model.- Alana Zimmer, Photograph © Anthea Simms. Image courtesy of V&A Museum.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty in London in spring 2015 is the first and largest retrospective of the late designer’s work to be presented in Europe, the exhibition will showcase McQueen’s visionary body of work. Spanning his 1992 MA graduate collection to his unfinished A/W 2010 collection, McQueen’s designs will be presented with the dramatic staging and sense of spectacle synonymous with his runway shows.

The exhibition will explore the extraordinary creative talent of one of the most innovative designers of recent times, and will be the first and largest retrospective of McQueen’s work to be presented in Europe.

“London’s where I was brought up. It’s where my heart is and where I get my inspiration.”

Alexander McQueen, January 2000.

The original version of Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in 2011 was organised by the Costume Institute and became one of the Museum's top 10 most visited exhibitions.

Martin Roth, V&A Director, said: “I am thrilled to announce that the V&A will bring this wonderful exhibition to London to celebrate the extraordinary creative talent of one of the most innovative designers of recent times. Lee Alexander McQueen was brought up in London, studied here and based his globally successful McQueen fashion brand here – by staging the exhibition at the V&A it feels like we are bringing his work home.”

Sarah Burton, Creative Director Alexander McQueen, said.- “Savage Beauty is a celebration of the most imaginative and talented designer of our time. Lee was a genius and a true visionary who pushed boundaries, challenged and inspired. He believed in creativity and innovation and his talent was limitless.”

Nadja Swarovski, Member of the Swarovski Executive Board, said: “We are honoured to support this landmark exhibition celebrating the creative genius of Alexander McQueen at one of our most distinguished cultural institutions. We were privileged to collaborate creatively with McQueen since 1998 in both fashion and design, and Savage Beauty is an eloquent tribute to the scale of his talent and to his limitless imagination, which conjured looks that were sometimes wild and challenging, but always exquisitely crafted, and always beautiful.”

Lisa Gregg, Vice President of Consumer Products & Experiences, American Express, said: “We are delighted to be a part of this unique retrospective. Our support of Alexander McQueen spans many years over which time we had the privilege of supporting his meteoric rise from cutting edge British designer to global household name. As one of the sponsors of the 2011 New York debut of Savage Beauty, we are particularly excited about the homecoming of this truly special and inspirational exhibition.”

Where.- Victoria and Albert Museum. Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL. UK.
When.- 14 March > 19 July 2015.

The V&A’s presentation of the exhibition is being made possible with the cooperation of Alexander McQueen and will be in partnership with Swarovski, and supported by American Express.

For more information visit the V&A Website. Here is little sneak peak of what the exhibition will show.-

Read less

Tulle and lace dress with veil and antlers, Widows of Culloden, Autumn/Winter 2006-07. Model.- Raquel Zimmerman, Viva London. Image © firstVIEW. Image courtesy of V&A Museum.

Dress of dyed ostrich feathers and hand-painted microscopic slides, Voss, Spring/Summer 2001. Model.- Erin O'Connor. Image © REX. Image courtesy of V&A Museum.

Portrait of Alexander McQueen, 1997, photographed by Marc Hom. Photograph © Marc Hom/Trunk Archive. Image courtesy of V&A Museum.

Spray-painted dress, No. 13, Spring/Summer 1999. Model.- Shalom Harlow. Image © Catwalking. Image courtesy of V&A Museum. Image courtesy of V&A Museum.

Jellyfish ensemble and Armadillo shoes, Plato's Atlantis, Spring/Summer 2010. Model.- Polina Kasina. Photograph © Lauren Greenfield/INSTITUTE. Image courtesy of V&A Museum.

Alexander McQueen. Ready to Wear, A/W 1998. Paul Vicente/ AFP/ Alexander McQueen RTW A/W 1998. Image © Getty.

Duck feather dress, The Horn of Plenty, Autumn/Winter 2009/10. Model.- Magdalena Frackowiak. Image © firstVIEW. Image courtesy of V&A Museum.

Tahitian pearl and silver neckpiece, Shaun Leane for Alexander McQueen, Voss, Spring/Summer 2001. Model.- Karen Elson © Anthea Simms. Image courtesy of V&A Museum.

Bird’s Nest Headdress with Swarovski gemstones, A/W 2006/07. Model.- Snejana Onopka, Image : Courtesy Swarovski Archive.

Jacket, Alexander McQueen. It's a Jungle out there, A/W 1997/98. Image © firstVIEW. Image courtesy of V&A Museum.

Alexander McQueen. Ready to Wear. A/W 2009. Pascal Le Segretain/ Alexander McQueen RTW A/W 2009. Image © Getty. Image courtesy of V&A Museum.

View more images

Metalocus recommends

Forges Cultural Centre by Firm Architects. Photograph by Luis Díaz Díaz

Renovation of an old Town Hall. Forges Cultural Centre by Firm Architects

Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture by MASS Design Group. Photograph by Iwan Baan

Earthen walls for Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture by MASS Design Group

Gago Green House by Bruno Dias Arquitectura. Photograph by Hugo Santos Silva

Dialogue between past and present. Gago Green House by Bruno Dias Arquitectura

More information

Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen was born in London on March 17th 1969, the youngest of six children. He left school at the age of 16 and was offered an apprenticeship at the traditional Savile Row tailors Anderson and Shephard and then at neighbouring Gieves and Hawkes, both masters in the technical construction of clothing.

From there he moved to the theatrical costumiers Angels and Bermans where he mastered 6 methods of pattern cutting from the melodramatic 16th Century to the razor sharp tailoring which has become a McQueen signature. Aged 20 he was employed by the designer Koji Tatsuno, who also had his roots in British tailoring. A year later McQueen travelled to Milan where he was employed as Romeo Gigli's design assistant. On his return to London, he completed a Masters degree in Fashion Design at Central Saint Martin's. He showed his MA collection in 1992, which was famously bought in its entirety by Isabella Blow.

In less than 10 years McQueen became one of the most respected fashion designers in the world. In October 1996 he was appointed Chief Designer at the French Haute Couture House Givenchy where he worked until March of 2001.

In December 2000, 51% of Alexander McQueen was acquired by the Gucci Group, where he remained Creative Director. Collections include womens ready-to-wear, mens ready-to-wear, accessories, eyewear and fragrance (Kingdom 2003 and MyQueen 2005). Expansion followed and included the opening of flagship stores in New York, London, Milan, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

The following awards have recognized Alexander McQueen's achievement in fashion: British Designer of the year 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2003, International Designer of the Year by The Council of Fashion Designer's of America (CFDA) in 2003, A Most Excellent Commander of The British Empire (CBE) by her Majesty the Queen in 2003, GQ Menswear Designer of the Year in 2007.

Published on: March 11, 2015

Cite: "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty in London goes to London" METALOCUS. Accessed

<http://www.metalocus.es/en/news/alexander-mcqueen-savage-beauty-london-goes-london> ISSN 1139-6415