David Bowie will be the star of a new exhibition at London'sVictoria and Albert Museum next year, according to Reuters. The exhibition, entitled David Bowie Is will run from March 23 to July 28, 2013. Amongst the most prominent items on display will be the multi-coloured jumpsuit that Bowie wore as his Ziggy Stardust alter-ego, as well as over 50 other extravagant stage costumes, handwritten lyrics and album artwork from the breadth of his long career.
The museum's co-curator Victoria Broackes told Reuters "It's about a person who through their art, design and performance, I think, has affected the way we live now." She added "It's not designed as a retrospective. It's designed in the present tense. So, we do look at themes within his career that come back and forth, but what we want, is when you leave the exhibition, you have a sense of how Bowie has changed your world and the fact that there are elements of what he has done all around you." One of the costumes on display will be the distinctive Union flag coat that Alexander McQueen designed for Bowie for his 'Earthling' album cover.
The museum recently came under criticism for hosting the exhibition, with some arguing that it did not fall within its art and design remit. Director Martin Roth told Reuters that the museum "is uniquely placed to put on this exhibition. We are the world's number one museum on art and design. We're also very, very strong on performance and theatre. Theatre and performance came back to the museum in 2007, so David Bowie fits perfectly within that genre." The museum also hosted a similar exhibition this year dedicated to the life and work of Annie Lennox. Tickets for David Bowie Is will go on sale on September 4, 2012.