McQueen Celebration

The Work of Alexander McQueen to Be Celebrated at The Costume Institute in May 2011

Romantic, avant-garde, dark, imaginative, daring, sublime—

these are some of the words that come to mind when thinking of the late, great designer Alexander McQueen, and they are also some of the themes that will be explored in the upcoming exhibition “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty,” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

To honor the designer’s astonishing, prolific nineteen-year career, a retrospective of his work will be featured at the museum next spring, and will include approximately 100 pieces from McQueen’s oeuvre, drawing pieces from iconic collections such as Number 13 (spring 1999), Irere (spring 2003), and Plato’s Atlantis (spring 2010).

The opening of the exhibition, which is being organized by Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton and curator in charge Harold Koda, will be celebrated at the 2011 Costume Institute Gala Benefit on May 2, hosted by honorary chairs François-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek, and co-chairs Colin Firth, Stella McCartney, and Anna Wintour.

“This landmark exhibition continues the Museum’s tradition of celebrating designers who changed the course of history and culture by creating new possibilities,” said Thomas P. Campbell, director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.