Lee Alexander McQueen (London, 1969–2010) was both a conceptual and technical virtuoso. His critically acclaimed collections synthesized the designer’s proficiency in tailoring and dressmaking with both encyclopedic and autobiographical references that spanned time, geography, media, and technology. The first McQueen exhibition on the West Coast, Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse contextualizes the designer’s imaginative work within a canon of artmakers who drew upon analogous themes and visual references. Exploring imagination, artistic process, and innovation in fashion and art, the exhibition examines the interdisciplinary impulse that defined the designer’s career. Displaying select McQueen garments from the Collection of Regina J. Drucker alongside artworks largely from LACMA’s permanent collection, Mind, Mythos, Muse presents a case study of the designer’s methods and influences, and in doing so, provides the opportunity to better understand artistic legacy and cycles of inspiration.
Essential to every Alexander McQueen designis the artist's foundation in garment construction. among his formative experiences were learning tailoring while apprenticing on Savile Row, deconstruction whilw working for experimental designers Koji Tatsuno and Romeo Gigli.: performance and storytelling while a master's student at Central Saint Martins and dressmaking while head designer at the haute couture house, Givenchy.
These attributes culminated in fashion strongly informed by his hands on approach. A suit and dress highlight his skill in molding pieced fabric around the body with technical and visual finesse, while a tie halter top illustrates deconstruction of both form and function.
