Alexander McQueen's fashion show as performance art Charlotte Müller

Can a fashion show be read as performance art? Alexander McQueen was known for his spectacular productions. In 1999, he placed the model Shalom Harlow in a white dress on a turntable and had robots spray her with paint.This paper examines this fashion show for its performativity. It looks for clues to define it as an art performance by providing an overview of performance art, theatre studies, and ritual studies.The authors Erika Fischer-Lichte, Max Hermann and Burkhard Dücker are cited. Research on fashion shows is still a very young field and pioneer is the author Alicia Kühl, who deals with the topic of fashion shows in.Defining a fashion show as an art performance is also done against the background of establishing fashion as a discipline in art historical research. In many cases, a fashion show is more than just a presentation of clothes; it can be much more of a performance and even have a ritual character. Alexander McQueen was a gifted artist and this work pays tribute to him.