David Bowie is

The V&A Museum celebrates David Bowie with the first solo exhibition devoted to the creative relation between the artist and the art, design and above all fashion of the last five decades.

David Bowie is brings together over 300 items from the David Bowie Archive in New York. Costumes, sketches, hand written lyrics, photos, instruments and even set design explore the career of the artist and his constantly changing identity. At the core of the exhibition, all most iconic Bowie’s outfits like the Natasha Korniloff Pierrot suit from Scary Monsters, Kansai Yamamoto’s striped dress from Aladdin Sane (1973), Freddie Burretti’s futuristic bodysuit from Ziggy Stardust (1972) and Alexander McQueen’s Union Jack coat from Earthling (1997). These costumes do not only represent the eclectic collaboration between Bowie and some of the most recognised fashion designers, but also the artist’s creative process, where every album and tour is centred around fictionalised personas with peculiar features and styles.

Two special sections of the show are dedicated to video and photography. David Bowie is displays some rare recordings of early Bowie’s performances and the recently uncovered footage of the artist performing Jean Genie in 1973. The photography section features portraits by Brian Duffy, Terry O’Neill and Masayoshi Sukita and, in the last room, some works by Helmut Newton and collages that interpret David Bowie influence on today high fashion, music and visual culture in general. Simultaneously with the release of Bowie’s last album The next day, the exhibition represents a timely tribute to one of the most trenchant cultural innovator of all times.