Eighth R.L. Shep Triennial Symposium: Lee Alexander McQueen | Cycles of Inspiration

In conjunction with the exhibition Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse, renowned scholars and artists explore imagination, artistic process, and innovation in fashion and art to further examine the interdisciplinary impulse that defined McQueen’s career, legacy, and sources of inspiration for the Eighth R.L. Shep Triennial Symposium on Textiles and Dress. The bullfight, or corrida, inspired McQueen’s Spanish-influenced Spring/Summer 2002 collection, The Dance of the Twisted Bull. The costume of the male matador informed the collection’s silhouettes, with accents drawn from the traditional costume of female flamenco dancers. McQueen interpreted the corrida from an outsider’s perspective, but followed in the footsteps of Spanish artists Francisco de Goya and Pablo Picasso, who both drew upon the bullfight in their own practices. Co-curator, Clarissa M. Esguerra, elaborates on McQueen’s collection, while Curator and Head of the Wallis Annenberg Photography Department and the Prints and Drawings Department, Britt Salvesen, discusses Goya and Picasso’s artistic processes in creating their respective "La Tauromaquia" print series. Donor and collector, Regina J. Drucker explores history, cycles of inspiration, and artistic expression that connects McQueen with artists before him, while reflecting on how her Mexican-American heritage drew her to collecting the work of McQueen now in LACMA’s permanent collection. In response to the global pandemic, the Eighth R.L. Shep Trienni