LEE ALEXANDER MCQUEEN:
MIND, MYTHOS, MUSE /
LACMA

  

The exhibition design for Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse connects viewers to the imaginative mind of McQueen using LACMA’s unique collection to express the artist’s vision. Drawing inspiration from McQueen’s recurring interest in the classical, the architectural concept reinterprets the colonnade form as the primary architectural theme. The design generates multiple intersecting spaces, each filled with McQueen’s works and inspirations from LACMA’s collection. These spaces maintain openness throughout the exhibition and provide the visitor opportunities to discover connections across the exhibition’s themes. The design embraces coexistence between individual and collective spaces and allows each piece in the exhibition to be experienced on its own and within the larger body of McQueen’s work.

The viewer’s movement through the two gallery spaces plays a significant role in the final design, aiding in the discovery of McQueen’s artistic process. In the central gallery, the exhibition is organized as two sets of double colonnades that form corridors to guide visitors through three sections: Mythos, Fashioned Narratives, and Evolution and Existence. Twenty-four columns organize the central space, creating a continuous platform that displays the artworks across a variety of scales and heights. The pathway between colonnades provides a smooth transition from the central gallery to the east gallery where the Technique and Innovation section is displayed. The Technique and Innovation section takes the form of a classical radial theater, putting viewers at center stage to allow observance of all artworks simultaneously.