Inside the Alexander McQueen exhibition at the NGV

“I think people will cry.”

Since the beginning of 2020, the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) has been working to bring the late Alexander McQueen’s expansive archives to Australia. The gallery’s December spectacular, Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse, will showcase more than 120 garments and accessories, spanning the entirety of McQueen’s prolific fashion career.

It’s the product of a two-year collaboration with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and judging by reactions at this morning’s media preview, is one that will capture audience’s attention throughout its five-month-long stint in Melbourne.

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The late British fashion designer pushed far beyond the boundaries of fashion design. From his inaugural 1993 Taxi Driver collection, inspired by the Scorsese film of the same name, to the legendary finale in his 2010 Plato’s Atlantis collection (which saw models trotting down the runway in hoof-like ‘armadillo’ shoes and prosthetics), McQueen is celebrated for his innovation, theatrical concepts and brilliant – and sometimes confronting – vision. It was his ability to rail against the fashion industry and still keep at its forefront that captivated audiences then and begs to be studied today.

Needless to say, it’s pretty monumental to have Mind, Mythos, Muse arriving here in Melbourne. McQueen was a punky, anti-establishment fashion pioneer long before the internet’s ‘avant DIY’ obsession. As said by Danielle Whitfield, the NGV’s Curator of Fashion and Textiles, “Over the course of [McQueen’s] career (from 1992 to 2010), he produced collections that were subversive, provocative, visceral, emotional, beautiful, powerful and uncompromising, and changed the way we think about fashion”.

And after seeing Mind, Mythos, Muse at this morning’s media preview, it’s only fair I share a sneak preview. Scroll on for first-look photos, exclusive curatorial insight (courtesy of Danielle Whitfield), and key information about the exhibition.

When does the McQueen exhibition start and finish?

The exhibition starts on December 11 and will be open for four months before closing on April 16. And because you’ll likely want to visit more than once (trust me), there are a number of different ways you can experience Mind, Mythos, Muse. Take it all in with a comprehensive audio guide, attend a drop-by introductory talk, take an IRL guided tour or enjoy some drinks and live music at NGV’s Friday Nights.

What can visitors expect from the McQueen exhibition?

“The exhibition is non-linear and organized according to four key themes: Mythos, Fashioned Narratives, and Evolution and Existence,” Danielle tells me. Alongside an expansive collection of garments, 80 original McQueen artworks will be displayed, chosen to help “highlight McQueen’s many sources of inspiration”. It’s multi-sensory – so think backstage photography and runway footage – and tells a story of McQueen’s creative process and influences.

As for the must-sees of the exhibition, Danielle thinks “visitors should look closely at them all”. But, if you do want to delve into McQueen’s design language, she suggests taking a deep dive into the Technique and Innovation section. “You’ll see the subversive early 1990s works, including McQueen’s famous ‘bumsters’ and first use of tartan, his distinctive silhouettes and exacting cut and fit alongside newer technologies and delicate embellishment.”

Is this the first showing of the exhibition?

While Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse was originally organised by and shown at LACMA, the NGV version is a fresh take on the debut exhibition. The curatorial team “selected additional artworks to either replace those that could not travel,” Danielle tells me.

“The Melbourne iteration of the exhibition will be significantly expanded by the addition of more than 50 outfits from the NGV’s McQueen holdings alongside works of painting, sculpture, photography, decorative art, textiles and prints. We have also added a new section showing runway footage from across McQueen’s career and intimate backstage photography taken by Robert Fairer.”

What defines McQueen’s work?

As a creative, McQueen was “conceptually ground-breaking and technically complex”. Through collections like The Widows of Culloden (fall 2006), Deliverance (spring 2004) and the highly controversial Highland Rape (fall 1995), McQueen used his dressmaking and garment construction skills to explore themes of classism, sexuality, historicism and heritage.

“I think people will be surprised by how wide-ranging his sources of inspiration were – from the nightclub to film to art to fashion history – but also the ways in which McQueen… absorbed these references into his work in order to create these cohesive narratives with poignant and universal themes,” says Danielle. “I think people will cry.”

Why was McQueen’s work so significant?

“McQueen was a visionary,” Danielle tells me. The youngest of six kids to a homemaker and a taxi driver, Alexander McQueen’s working-class London upbringing gave his work its gritty, traditionally disruptive edge. He undertook an apprenticeship on Saville Row at just sixteen years old, enrolling in fashion design at Central Saint Martins four years later. In 1992, McQueen’s entire graduate collection was purchased by prolific fashion journalist, Isabella Blow.

“McQueen made fashion a mirror of the times – he used it to tell deeply personal stories, about himself, the world and his place in it,” Danielle tells me. “He referenced history, religion, art, film, ancestry and nature among other things – but he was technically brilliant – someone who gave us new silhouettes and new ideas. His understanding of the language of tailoring and dressmaking enabled him to innovate and to deconstruct fashion and re-make it according to his own viewpoint.”

Is the McQueen exhibition coming to Sydney and other cities?

Unfortunately for the rest of Australia, Mind, Mythos, Muse is – at the time of writing this – an NGV exclusive. What I will say is five months gives you ample time to plan a trip to Melbourne, and this exhibition is well worth it. It’s substantially cheaper than a flight to LA and might provide one of your only opportunities to witness this pivotal piece of fashion history.

Book your tickets and find more information about Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse here.