The V&A stayed open all night for the first time in its history for Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty drew more than 480,000 in London
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty opened at the Met in New York in May 2011, a little over a year after his death, and came home to the V&A in London in March 2015. The Met counted 661,509 visitors and ranked it eighth among all its exhibitions. The V&A sold more than 480,000 tickets and kept the galleries open through the night on the final two weekends, something it had not done for any exhibition before.
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01THE V&A MUSEUM IN LONDON HAD NEVER STAYED OPEN ALL NIGHT. IN 2015 IT DID, FOR THE CLOTHES OF ALEXANDER MCQUEEN.
02SAVAGE BEAUTY, THE EXHIBITION OF HIS WORK, RAN AROUND THE CLOCK ON ITS LAST TWO WEEKENDS TO MEET DEMAND.
03MORE THAN 480,000 PEOPLE SAW IT. NO PAID EXHIBITION AT THE MUSEUM HAD DRAWN MORE BY THEN.
04NEW YORK HAD IT FOUR YEARS EARLIER. THE MET MUSEUM COUNTED 661,509 VISITORS IN THREE MONTHS IN 2011.
05THE MET STAYED OPEN UNTIL MIDNIGHT ON THE CLOSING WEEKEND, A FIRST FOR THE MUSEUM. IT ALSO OPENED ON MONDAYS, ITS USUAL DAY OFF.
06MCQUEEN WAS A LONDON TAXI DRIVER'S SON WHO LEFT SCHOOL AT SIXTEEN TO LEARN TAILORING ON SAVILE ROW, THE STREET OF BESPOKE SUIT MAKERS.
07HE DIED IN 2010, AGED FORTY. THE TWO EXHIBITIONS TOGETHER DREW MORE THAN 1.1 MILLION PEOPLE.