February 7, 2022 |
The past few months have seen fashion experience a wealth of tragic loss, leaving us to mourn some of the industry’s greatest tastemakers: Thierry Mugler, Andre Leon Talley, and on November 28 of last year, Virgil Abloh.
Abloh, who has been aptly described by the fashion community as a visionary, died from a private two-year battle with a rare form of heart cancer at just 41 years of age. In honour of his enduring legacy, The Brooklyn Museum has announced that it will debut a seven month memorial exhibition devoted to the life and works of the late creative polymath. Set to launch on July 1, 2022, Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech will showcase the revolutionary’s work across the two decades he spent in the industry.
Presenting large-scale sculpture, immersive spaces, videos and sketches, this display arrives in succession to the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art’s homonymous exhibition which premiered in June 2019. The BkM’s retrospective will be organised by independent curator and writer Antwaun Sargent, with support from Northern Trust.
In the announcement of its exhibition schedule for 2022, The BkM said: “This is the first museum survey exhibition devoted to late artist and designer Virgil Abloh, whose work reshaped notions of contemporary fashion, art, commerce, design, and youth culture.”
Abloh, who was one of the first Black designers to helm a major Parisian fashion house, is remembered for his efforts to promote diversity, inclusivity and for opening the doors to the industry for young Black creatives and dreamers alike. With a legacy that will live forever, this is an exhibition not to be missed.
Photography by Dominque Charriau. ‘Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech’ opens at The Brooklyn Museum on July 1, 2022 to January 29, 2023.
