Fashionistas, mark your calendars! Next year, you can get a close-up look at the magnificent stage costumes of Rihanna, Björk, Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, Marilyn Monroe, and Billie Eilish at the upcoming exhibition Divas & Icons. Travelling all the way from London's Victoria and Albert Museum, the empowering collection will be on view from May 2024 at the House of Music Hungary.
The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is a top-tier museum celebrating fashion, art, design, and performance. And next year, one of their captivating exhibitions, DIVA, is landing in Budapest under the name Divas & Icons. It showcases iconic costumes and life of iconic performers: you can admire the very costumes Rihanna, Björk, Whitney Houston, Britney Spears and Billie Eilish wore when stepping on stage while also learning about their career paths. Mark your calendar: the opening date in May of 2024.
The exhibition goes beyond popstars: artists from the world of opera and film are also presented: you can for example see the costume worn by Ingrid Bergman in the film Joan of Arc in 1948. Or the stage costume of Maria Callas, worn in Norma at Covent Garden in 1952. And let's not forget about Marilyn Monroe's black dress from Some Like It Hot (1959). You can also catch iconic pieces designed by the legendary Bob Mackie.
The first half of the exhibition is more on the historical side, exploring the meaning of 'diva', and the goddesses embodying the word. The second section showcases modern divas, who managed to bring change to society. Divas & Icons embarks on a journey across the globe in May 2024. First up, it comes to Budapest, where it will be hosted by the House of Music Hungary in the City Park. More details here.
(Cover photo: Peter Kelleher)