Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse
The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)'s Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse exhibition showcases over 100 pieces from the boundary-pushing designer's critically acclaimed catalogue, alongside 70 historical artworks that influenced him. Photograph: Tom Ross
Alexander McQueen at NGV
The exhibition explores McQueen’s work across four key themes and incorporates visual references to diverse cultures as well as historical art movements.
Mythos
Mythos explores three collections inspired by mythological and religious belief systems, incorporating visual references to various cultures as well as art-historical movements.
These collections showcase McQueen’s impressive breadth of artistic source material and multifaceted vision while highlighting the practice of external inspiration-seeking that characterized his career.
Fashioned Narratives
The second section showcases four collections that tell original stories or reimagine past events that are connected to McQueen’s personal history.
These collections acknowledge the designer's Scottish ancestry while drawing upon traditional MacQueen tartan and Scotland’s natural landscape. The designs are also influenced by McQueen’s affinity for Japanese dress and his personal adoption of Buddhism.
Evolution and Existence
Evolution and Existence explores the McQueen's fascination with life cycles and the human condition. It showcases how his strong interest in nature, evolution and death resulted in collections that relfect life’s inherent fragility.
The stages of evolution are traced in silhouettes that radically alter the form of the body while garments feature innovative, digitally manipulated and printed textiles inspired by animals from the land, sky and sea.
Technique and Innovation
Demonstrating McQueen's masterful abilities in garment construction, Technique and Innovation features a series of displays dedicated to tailoring, dressmaking, deconstruction and the notion of a dangerous body.
By juxtaposing early and later career works, this section highlights McQueen’s technical agility, attention to detail and inventive use of fabrics, which have had a lasting impact on the industry.
Brought to life by Dulux
Dulux colours transform every exhibition held at the National Gallery of Victoria. For this show, NGV Head of Design Ingrid Rhule describes selecting the backdrop colour palette as an exercise in restraint, and colours were carefully selected to enhance the theatrical experience of the exhibition. From the ethereal Misty Morning to the Hot Lips, these hues work in harmony alongside McQueen’s work, as well as the accompanying artworks featured.
The Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse exhibition is now open at the National Gallery of Victoria until Sunday, 16 April 2023.
Explore the exhibition
Disclaimer
Colours displayed should be used as a guide for your colour selection. To ensure best accuracy, test your colour choice at home by ordering Dulux sample pots, stickers and A4 colour swatches.