This blog post was updated on October 8, 2018.
With unprecedented access to the David Bowie Archive, London’s V&A museum will soon present the first international retrospective exhibition to highlight the extraordinary career of one of popular music’s most beloved and enduring stars. David Bowie is will open at the end of March and will allow visitors a chance to explore the creative processes behind this pioneering and influential performer’s work.
Taking an in depth look at how David Bowie’s music and radical individualism have both influenced and been influenced by wider movements in art, design and contemporary culture – the show will feature more than 300 Bowie related objects brought together for the first time, including handwritten lyrics, original costumes, fashion, photography, film, music videos, set designs, Bowie’s own instruments and album artwork. Of particular note, more than 60 stage costumes including the famous Ziggy Stardust bodysuits will be on display as well as photography from throughout Bowie’s 40 plus year career as a recording artist.
The exhibition will also demonstrate how this musical innovator and cultural icon has inspired others to challenge convention and pursue freedom of expression. On display will be more than 60 stage costumes including the famous Ziggy Stardust bodysuits. Also on show will be photography from throughout Bowie’s 40 plus years as a recording artist. Says Martin Roth, Director of the V&A:
David Bowie is a true icon, more relevant to popular culture now than ever. His radical innovations across music, theatre, fashion and style still resound today in design and visual culture and he continues to inspire artists and designers throughout the world. We are thrilled to be presenting the first ever exhibition drawn from the David Bowie Archive.
To coincide with the exhibition the V&A will publish DAVID BOWIE IS (edited by Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh) with essays by Jon Savage, Camille Paglia, Howard Goodall and Christopher Frayling. It will be published in paperback at £25 and as a deluxe hardback at £50.
The V&A is located at the corner of Exhibition Road and Cromwell Road. It’s only a five minute walk away from South Kensington Underground Station (on the Piccadilly, Circle and District Line) or a ten minute walk from Knightsbridge Underground Station (on the Piccadilly Line). The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. and its permanent collections are free to view.
Find out more about the V&A, the David Bowie is exhibition and related events at vam.ac.uk.
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