David Bowie Is

September 23, 2014–January 4, 2015
David Bowie Is presents the first retrospective of the extraordinary career of David Bowie—one of the most pioneering and influential performers of our time. More than 400 objects from the David Bowie Archive, including handwritten lyrics, original costumes, photography, set designs, album artwork, and rare performance material from the past five decades, are brought together for the first time.
Bowie’s work has both influenced and been influenced by wider movements in art, design, theater, and contemporary culture, and the exhibition subsequently focuses on his creative processes, shifting style, and collaborative work with diverse designers in the fields of fashion, sound, graphics, theater, and film. Multimedia installations incorporating advanced sound technology produced by Sennheiser, original animations, continuous audio accompaniment, and video installations immerse visitors in the sights and sounds of Bowie’s artistic life. David Bowie Is was organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and has embarked on an international tour with the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago as the only US venue.
Organized chronologically, David Bowie Is traces the artist’s evolution from his years as a teenager in the 1950s to the early 2000s when he retired from touring. Before the surprise release of the 2013 album The Next Day, Bowie had not released an album since Reality in 2003. On display are more than sixty stage costumes including the Ziggy Stardust bodysuits (1972), designed by Freddie Burretti; Kansai Yamamoto’s flamboyant creations for the Aladdin Sane tour (1973); and the Union Jack coat designed by Bowie and Alexander McQueen for the Earthling album cover (1997). Bowie’s many personae are amply documented through photography, graphic designs, models of concert sets, visual excerpts from films, and live performances, including his starring role in Nicolas Roeg’s The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) and his appearance on Saturday Night Live (1979), as well as music videos for songs such as “Boys Keep Swinging” (1979) and “Let’s Dance” (1983). Alongside such prominent examples are more personal items such as never-before-seen storyboards, handwritten set lists and lyrics, and some of Bowie’s own sketches, musical scores, and diary entries, which help reveal the evolution of his creative ideas. His chameleonic character transformations throughout the years are central to his contribution to contemporary culture and highly relevant to contemporary artists such as Cindy Sherman, Wu Tsang, Janelle Monae, and Lady Gaga.
The exhibition is accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue edited by Victoria and Albert Museum curators Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, which includes contributions from leading experts in musicology and cultural history and benefits from its reliance on and full access to the David Bowie Archive.
This exhibition is overseen in Chicago by Michael Darling, James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

Ticket Information

Tickets on sale now!
Individual tickets are $25 for adults and teens, $10 children (age 7–12), and free for children 6 and under.
Price includes museum admission.
Admission to the museum without David Bowie Is access is $7 (free for children 6 and under).
For all ticket questions call the Bowie Hotline at 312.397.4068

Also happening that same day.

Sat, Sep 20, 2014
6:30 pm

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago invites you to artEdge 2014, celebrating the opening of the exhibition David Bowie Is. This exclusive event offers a first access preview of the exhibition and an incredible dinner, followed by a special concert featuring acclaimed musician Bryan Ferry. Proceeds from artEdge will support MCA exhibitions, performances, and education programming.
This event is expected to sell out. Reserve your table today.
artEdge Cochairs:
Nancy Crown
Caryn Harris
Liz Lefkofsky
Cari Sacks

Funding

Exhibition organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Lead support for the Chicago presentation of the exhibition is provided by Kenneth and Anne Griffin, Andrea and Jim Gordon, Margot and George Greig, Cari and Michael Sacks, and Helen and Sam Zell.
Major support is provided by Signature Group Holdings, Inc./Helen and Sam Zell.
Additional generous support is provided by Robert and Sheryl Bellick.
Presented by Louis Vuitton.


Thompson Chicago is MCA Chicago’s Exclusive Hotel Partner.

Sound experience by Sennheiser.


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