Since his death, Alexander McQueen’s work has been the subject of numerous exhibitions, so much so that it cannot be described simply as fashion, and so much so that it captured technological innovations and new forms of artistic expression. Attending an Alexander McQueen fashion show was more than a show, it was an experience, summoning all the senses. A prestidigitator, time gives way to dresses on which paint explodes, phantasmagorical visions of Kate Moss appear…
A man of many contradictions, with a fragile soul and a complicated, inexplicable work ethic – but need we explain? In the course of his illustrious career, he slipped an “I’m an idiot” bill into the lining of a jacket worn by Prince Charles, was “designer of the year in 1994”, then confronted the big houses – including Givenchy, where he didn’t fit in – before being able to build his own brand in 2002. His “pied-de-nez” to Givenchy, his support for Kate Moss in the midst of “Cocaine Kate”, his unique way of designing shows and destabilizing, earned him the nickname “D’enfant terrible”.
Never in the right place at the right time. The youngest of eight children. An adolescence in which he had to deal with homophobia. What if timing had been his greatest enemy?
Sometimes reduced to his contemporary cultural references, (Jack the Ripper…) his work is much richer, orchestrating itself around Baroque inspirations, more precisely the aspirations of the artists of the period. From the Savage Beauty exhibition to the recent Tate retrospective, McQueen’s work oscillates between horror films, where folklore meets reality and turns into a tale. A universe of porous fiction, which now makes his life a legend full of enigmas.
Nick Knight collaborated with the designer for many years, and carefully preserved images with his SHOWstudio team. Compiled into a short film, reality and fiction become one on the white screen of McQueen’s dark nights…
Sarah Burton, the house’s artistic director, has selected a number of outstanding works. Hommage, a video with a fragmented thread as if to illustrate “the pileup of my contradictions, romanticism embedded in sadomasochism, for example.” Alexander Mc Queen.
Discover “UnSeen Mc Queen”.
Cette publication est également disponible en :
