The Met's McQueen Blockbuster May Head to London After All

What more can be said about the record-smashing juggernaut that was the Savage Beauty exhibit at the Met, where a staggering 661,509 visitors flocked to view Alexander McQueen's most awe-inspiring creations? And where, apparently, customer traffic was so overwhelming the Met was forced to suspend its queue-cutting privileges for museum members.

Plenty, it may turn out. In true McQueen fashion, the global hype that surrounded the exhibit stemmed from more than just a fixation with celebrity, or even art. For the British in particular, it was an issue of identity—and they're determined to see that their prodigal son return home.

"[McQueen's] legacy will form an integral part of the UK's cultural heritage for many, many years to come so it is only right that we begin as we mean to go on," said Melanie Rickey, editor of Grazia. She's spearheaded an online petition to take Savage Beauty to British shores, even appealing personally to the brand's London team. McQueen's people have been keeping mum on the subject so far, only revealing that negotiations with "major galleries" are underway.

But while a rep insists that "nothing has been finalized," the grapevine is rife with speculation that a UK chapter of the exhibit is imminent. "The British people want this," Rickey explained, adding, "That the McQueen exhibition took place in New York without a forward plan to bring it to London is a scandal." If it does happen, it's expected Savage Beauty UK will take place in 2013, the 20th anniversary of the London label.

• Posted Aug 30, 2011
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