How to do NGV Friday Nights: Alexander McQueen in style

The late Lee Alexander McQueen once said, “give me time, and I’ll give you a revolution.” Twelve years after his death, the avant-garde visionary continues to hold the crown (of thorns) as one of the most influential and revolutionary fashion designers of the 21st century.  

Organised by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria, Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse is the first major Australian exhibition to explore McQueen’s far-reaching sources of inspiration, his creative process and capacity for storytelling through four themes: Mythos, Fashioned Narratives, Technique and Innovation, and Evolution and Existence.

The exhibition features over 100 garments from collections such as his controversial autumn-winter 1995-6 Highland Rape to his last spring-summer 2010 collection Plato’s Atlantis, alongside accessories and more than 80 artworks. Traversing a multitude of eras, mediums and cultures, Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse will offer ticket holders unprecedented access into the mind and life of an icon. 

Your NGV Friday Nights ticket includes after-hours access to the exhibition. A limited number of tickets will be on the door, or you can secure them on the NGV website here.

See Melbourne’s best DJs and bands taking the NGV by storm every Friday night this autumn. This season will see the crème de la crème of Melbourne’s music scene take to the decks to soundtrack your unforgettable experience at Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse.

On Good Friday Komang will bless your ears with groove and neo-soul with Balinese spirit. Melbourne DJ Moopie will also take to the decks on the night, spinning electro beats.

For the final Friday night of the series on April 14, you'll be treated to Izy's futuristic soul music and Darcy Justice's genre-spanning tunes.

Discover the timings and full program for NGV Friday Nights here and sample the sounds of Friday nights by listening to the Spotify playlist here.

In a colourful coalescence of art and architecture, Temple of Boom is an evocative reimagining of the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens, envisioned as a dance floor for NGV Friday Nights. To emulate the likeness of the 5th century temple, Melbourne-based architects Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang have created a scaled-down version with overlapping large-scale artworks and optical murals.

The final evening Friday, April 14 will feature a special performance from Luke George. Gather in the Temple of Boom as he constructs a rope gown provoked by Alexander McQueen's radical and lasting impact on fasion and culture. 

 Discover more about Temple of Boom on the NGV website here.

Open to visitors during NGV Friday Nights, Freedom of Movement: Contemporary Art and Design from the NGV Collection is an exhibition that crosses culture, disciplines and traditional divides. Over 60 multimedia items from the NGV Collection – from furniture, lighting, painting, film, sculpture to installation – have been braided together to reveal the centrality of movement in contemporary art and design. The exhibition boasts an impressive and recognisable line-up of artists and designers including KAWS, Patricia Piccinini, Daniel Arsham, Nick Cave, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Shilpa Gupta. Presented in four “movements”, Freedom of Movement invites audiences to contemplate the capacity of collections and what they tell us about movement, change, perception and transformation in contemporary life. This exhibition closes on Apil 10, so the last chance to view it at night will be on Good Friday. Find out more about the Freedom of Movement exhibition here. 

Raise a glass to the weekend with NGV Friday Nights’ sparkling selection of wine, beer, Champagne and cocktails. Add a bit of pizazz to your evening at Moët & Chandon, where they will be serving Moët Impérial, Rosé Impérial and Moët Minis. Alternatively, enjoy a wine-tasting experience or choose from a menu of fine wines from the Yarra Valley at the Yering Station Wine Bar in the Great Hall. The Four Pillars Gin Bar will also be open for you to make the most of your Friday night, where they will be serving up cocktails and thirst-quenching G&Ts. In celebration of Alexander McQueen’s formative years in East London, there will be a range of English classics to feast on through the night, from fish and chips, crispy pork belly to a selection of cheeses.