This morning ELLE previewed the year's mostly eagerly anticipated exhibition the Victoria and Albert museums David Bowie Is.
After so much hype in the run-up to the opening, it could have been an anti-climax, but were very happy to report that this show is anything but. Charting Bowies journey from suburban childhood to superstardom, Bowie geeks will be able to seriously indulge their passion.
Our highlights? Original handwritten lyrics to Ziggy Stardust and Fashion; The Ziggy Stardust jumpsuit designed by Freddie Burretti; footage of Bowie talking about how he writes his songs; incredible photos of the man himself, from album artwork to candid backstage shots, taken by everyone from Helmut Newton to Herb Ritts; props from his movies, including The Man Who Came to Earth and Labyrinth; and floor-to-ceiling screens showing footage of music videos and performances.
Aside from opening up his archives and doing a spot of fact checking, David Bowie has had no hand in the exhibition, leaving curators Victoria Broakes and Geoffrey Marsh to interpret the work. Theyve been careful to compile a work in progress rather than a retrospective - and the result feels thoroughly modern and seriously cool. Just like its subject.
The Starman didnt make an appearance at the exhibitions gala dinner last night, but while the curators would love him to see their handiwork, they were upbeat. Im not going to lose any sleep on it, Geoffrey Marsh told us. People say, of course hell come, anyone whose had a major exhibition about themselves in a major museum in a major city has got to come. Thats the reason that he probably wont - he goes against the flow and that's really fascinating.
And it seems that the timely release of Bowies first album in a decade, The Next Day, really wasnt a clever PR strategy on the museum's part. The thing is, we didnt know about the album coming out, confides Broakes, and it was extraordinary because Jonathan Barnbrook, who designed the book and some the show, also designed the album cover and he never mentioned it to us - we had no idea.
David Bowie Is at the V&A is open from 23 March 2013 11 August 2013
See highlights from the 'David Bowie Is' exhibition...
Go behind the scenes on the Bowie-themed shoot from this month's ELLE...