He has been known as Ziggy Stardust, Major Tom, Aladdin Sane and the Thin White Duke. He is a style chameleon and a true pioneer in the world of music and art. Though in his “Golden Years” now, he has shown legions of artistic rule-breakers who came after him how it’s done – and he still does. He is David Bowie and David Bowie Is at the Art Gallery of Ontario this fall.
Costume from the Aladdin Sane Tour
Scheduled to run from September 25 through November 27, this is the first stop outside of the exhibit’s very successful debut at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London this past summer. This curated collection of Bowie paraphernalia features over 300 objects from his life in music, fashion, art, theatre and film (handwritten lyrics and music sheets, excerpts from his diaries, guitars, sketches and, of course, his flamboyant costumes) most of which were culled from his personal archive. There are clips of “The Man Who Fell to Earth”, his appearance in The Elephant Man and the Union Jack coat he co-designed with Alexander McQueen for his 1997 album cover, Earthlings. Additional paintings and multimedia works by his cohorts (Warhol, Basquiat) from back in the day are also included in the exhibit.
It is a major coup for Toronto that Major Tom chose the AGO, as opposed to say, New York, for the exhibit’s first North American stop. Certainly a launch in the Big Apple would have made sense, given Bowie’s place in the city’s now-legendary Studio 54 scene during the 1970s. But so far, confirmed cities on the David Bowie Is tour, which is scheduled to run through 2016, only include Sao Paulo, Chicago, Paris and Groningen, the Netherlands.
Starman
Bowie has had a unique place in pop history. Along with T. Rex and Roxy Music in the U.K. and Lou Reed and Iggy Pop in the U.S, he was one of the founders of the glam rock movement: androgynous artists who played experimental art rock and dressed in make-up and glittery outfits. It was a reaction against the hyper-masculine, arena-rock mainstays like the Stones or the Who. Bowie was unpredictable, yet he maintained his commanding presence and artistic credibility no matter what persona he chose to inhabit.
To provide a modern-day frame of reference, Bowie paved the way for the likes of Marilyn Manson and Lady Gaga, artists who thrive on shock value. But Bowie was far more enigmatic and less driven by commercial success. He is widely-respected by artists in virtually all other genres simply due to his genius. That is why he has been able to traverse musical categories, having performed duets with the likes of Queen, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner and even Bing Crosby. His songs have been covered by various other artists as well, such as grunge rockers Nirvana.
Alexander McQueen jacket and handwritten note
But diehard fans of Bowie’s music shouldn’t expect a musical Hall of Fame-type retrospective of his life at the AGO. This is a multimedia experience presented in a non-linear format. It is designed to showcase how movements like Surrealism, German Expressionism and mime have influenced Bowie and how his artistic contributions have influenced modern art and culture.
Bowie’s works were often cryptic and the AGO exhibit offers us a glimpse into the mind of the man. As to who that man that is, well that could change at any given moment.
