From Mariah Carey to Gemma Collins, divas have been simultaneously exalted and vilified, but never ignored. The V&A’s highly-anticipated blockbuster exhibition will celebrate the power and creativity of iconic performers who have stood out from the crowd from the 19th century to the present day, subverting and embracing the role of the ‘Diva’ across popular culture, from opera goddesses and silent movie stars to sirens of the big screen and today’s global megastars.
Look out for the fringed black dress worn by Marilyn Monroe as Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk in ‘Some Like it Hot’ (1959), the only known surviving dress worn by early twentieth-century movie star Clara Bow, Janelle Monae’s ‘vulva pants’ designed for the music video ‘Pynk’ (2018), iconic costumes worn by Tina Turner, P!nk and Cher and photography by Sheila Rock, David Corio and Nick Knight.