Photo: © Juergen Teller, All Rights Reserved
Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech”
July 1, 2022–January 29, 2023
Since the beginning of his career, the multidisciplinary work of late visionary artist and designer Virgil Abloh (Rockford, Illinois, 1980–2021, Chicago, Illinois) has reshaped how we understand the role of fashion, art, design, and music in contemporary culture. Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech,” developed by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, is the first museum exhibition devoted to Abloh’s work. It spans two decades of his practice, including collaborations with artists Takashi Murakami and Arthur Jafa, and photographer Juergen Teller, among others; material from his fashion label Off-White; and items from Louis Vuitton, where he served as the first Black menswear artistic director.
“The mixed-media museum exhibit with exclusive merch promises to be the hottest thing this summer.”
“Like Abloh, the exhibit defies convention.”
“A reminder that art is never complete, that Abloh will live on.”
Get the inside story from Abloh’s collaborators with our new digital guide.
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 writer and curator Antwaun Sargent.
Exhibition design for Brooklyn Museum is by Mahfuz Sultan, Creative Director, Clocks, in collaboration with Tawanda Chiweshe and Francisco Gaspar, Creative and Artistic Directors of ALASKA ALASKA, and Lance Singletary, Director of Exhibition Design, Brooklyn Museum. Exhibition design for previous iterations of “Figures of Speech” is by Samir Bantal, Director of AMO, the research and design studio of OMA.
The exhibition is organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The exhibition tour is made possible by Kenneth C. Griffin.
Special thanks to Virgil Abloh Securities for their partnership.
Major support for this exhibition is provided by
Additional support is provided by
Generous support is provided by the Brooklyn Museum’s Contemporary Art Committee. Additional support is provided by the Norman M. Feinberg Exhibition Fund and the Kay Unger Family Foundation.