Good news for Bowie fans

David Bowie Retrospective At V&A Museum


An exhibition charting the career of the iconic British singer David Bowie will open in London next March.

The Victoria and Albert museum has been given unprecedented access to the David Bowie Archive to curate what will be his first international retrospective.

David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust jumpsuit and his hand-written lyrics are set to be the highlights of a V&A show dedicated to the singer "who helped change the world".

More than 300 objects have been selected for the exclusive David Bowie Is collection, including Bowie's own instruments, sketches, musical scores, diary entries and album artwork.

Organisers say the show will trace the star's "reinvention across five decades", the way he inspired others to "pursue freedom of expression" and his influence on movements in art and culture.

Co-curator Geoffrey Marsh said: "We're aiming for a ground-breaking exhibition to reflect a ground-breaking artist."

The legendary Bowie will be celebrated for his fearless self-expression.

Bowie appeared on Top Of The Pops with flame-orange hair, make-up, multi-coloured clothing and red patent boots to perform Starman, the first single from the album The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust, in 1972.

It became a "watershed moment" for rock music and youth culture.

Bowie, who now lives in the US, was born David Robert Jones in 1947 in Brixton, south London, and he adopted his stage name in 1965.

As well as the infamous Ziggy Stardust jumpsuit, other exhibits will include the Union Jack coat designed by Bowie and Alexander McQueen for the Earthling album cover in 1997.

Works by such photographers as Herb Ritts, Helmut Lang, Brian Duffy and Terry O'Neill will also appear.

The show has been curated by the V&A and Bowie recently took to Facebook to deny that he was directly involved in the exhibition.

"Contrary to recently published reports relating to the announcement by the V&A of an upcoming David Bowie exhibition, I am not a co-curator and did not participate in any decisions relating to the exhibition," he said.

Daivd Bowie Is will run from 23 March to 28 July.