“The Brooklyn Museum presents Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech”, a sweeping exhibition tracing two decades of the late artist and designer’s visionary work. ‘Figures of Speech’ is the first museum exhibition devoted to Abloh and was originally developed by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The Brooklyn Museum presentation features important objects from his multifaceted career, including collaborations with artist Takashi Murakami, musician Kanye West, and architect Rem Koolhaas; material from his fashion label Off-White; and designs from Louis Vuitton, where he served as the first Black menswear artistic director until his death in November 2021. The exhibition highlights how Abloh’s emphasis on collaboration reshaped popular notions of, and contemporary taste in, fashion, art, commerce, design, and youth culture.” — Brooklyn Museum

Anne Pasternak, the Brooklyn Museum’s Shelby White and Leon Levy Director, says, “We’ve been working with Virgil and his exceptional team on the Brooklyn Museum presentation of his exhibition for more than three years, and throughout we’ve had a single goal: to celebrate his explosive talent and the ways he kicked open doors for young BIPOC artists.”

“During our years of collaboration, Virgil and I have sought to think about his expansive practice in new ways,” says Sargent. “The exhibition includes objects and materials from his archive that touch on the ways he blurred the boundaries of different mediums to make something entirely his own. The show also includes a new monumental sculpture, designed by the artist, that emphasizes how Virgil’s creativity made space for young people to explore their own ideas in ways that re-center art and design.”

Installation views of Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech”. Photos by Corrado Serra.

Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech” is organized by Michael Darling, former James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The Brooklyn Museum presentation is organized by guest writer and curator Antwaun Sargent.