There is often a lot of hype around special museum exhibitions and you never know if they will live up to all the talk.  However, when I found myself in NYC last week for trunk and trade shows with literally only 3-4 hours of free time, I could think of only one way that I wanted to spend the afternoon.  Since I was not sure if I would be back before it closed at the end of July, I was yearning to go to the Alexander McQueen:Savage Beauty special exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I had been reading and hearing about it everywhere for weeks.  Once work was wrapped up on Thursday, Liberty, Adesso’s creative director, and I grabbed a quick lunch at Le Pain Quotidien, strolled through Central Park and took in a glorious moment of Spring while we made our way to the Met.

Alexander McQueen, Dress, Sarabande, spring/summer 2007, Nude silk organza embroidered with silk flowers and fresh flowers, Courtesy of Alexander McQueen, Photography by Sølve Sundsbø

The drama of the “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” hits you from the moment you walk in the door of the exhibit hall.  It is so gorgeously curated by Andrew Bolton with appropriate lighting, music, descriptions, quotes and, of course, McQueen’s stunning clothing and well-edited choice of accessories. Each section of the exhibit takes you through not only a different McQueen collection, but also through another door into his psyche.  His talent to design amazingly interesting and gorgeous clothing is clearly evident, but his ability to navigate the perils of his own mind and turn them into such breathtaking beauty was fascinating.

Alexander McQueen, Dress No. 13, spring/summer 1999, White cotton muslin spray-painted black and yellow with underskirt of white synthetic tulle, Courtesy of Alexander McQueen, Photography by Sølve Sundsbø

Two of my favorite moments in the exhibit were the performance art of Dress No. 13 from Spring/Summer 1999 with two robots firing paint at Shalom Harlow on the runway and the breathtakingly gorgeous hologram of Kate Moss from the Widows of Culloden collection finale (Autumn/Winter 2006-2007).  I could have stood there all day watching the hologram of Moss, which brought me to tears, with its beautiful music and odd pyramid through which that finale was to be viewed.  I could go on and on about virtually every piece of clothing that I saw that day, but that strays from the deeper impression the exhibit left with me.

Alexander McQueen, Coat, Dante, autumn/winter 1996–97, Black wool felt embroidered with gold bullion cord, From the collection of Isabella Blow courtesy of the Hon. Daphne Guinness, Photography by Sølve Sundsbø

I was struck by the palpable beauty of the light and darkness that surrounded McQueen in his life and now after through his legacy.  His ability to continuously evolve while maintaining his unique aesthetic was inspiring.  His evident struggle with the contradictions in life was so comfortingly human. I left with a battery of grand questions to ponder in my own life: How does the artist stay fresh while staying true to oneself? How does the artist navigate the public world while creating and expressing something that is inherently based in something so very private and fragile?

I also walked away with a deep well of inspiration and commitment to letting go of that which hinders my creativity and well-being. As McQueen said, “It is important to look at life and death because it is part of life. It is a sad thing but romantic at the same time. It is the end of a cycle-everything has to end.  The cycle of life is positive because it gives room for new things.”  It gives a whole new meaning to the old saying, “out with the old and in with the new” for someone who creates and wants to live in the moment.

I can now only hope that something takes me to New York before the end of July so I can view this exhibit again.  However, if that does not happen, I know I have already been inspired to look deeper and create more honestly.