Culture & Artshuffington magazinehuffmagmetropolitan museum of art

The Metropolitan Museum Of Art Punk Exhibition Is An Ode To The Blank Generation (PHOTOS)

Groundbreaking Punk Exhibition Is Coming To The Met
|
Open Image Modal

“We wanted to strip everything down further, away from the showbiz theatricality of the glitter bands, and away from bluesiness and boogie. We wanted to be stark and hard and torn up, the way the world was,” Richard Hell writes in his recent raw autobiography, "I Dreamed I Was A Very Clean Tramp."

At the Metropolitan Museums of Art's upcoming exhibit, "Punk: Chaos and Couture," Hell is the first of seven "punk heroes" with a gallery showcasing their impact on the fashion world.

Hell rose to cult fame in the late 1970s through his band Richard Hell and the Voidoids. While the group didn't last long, Hell's ripped and safety-pinned clothes have immortalized him as an emblem of New York's seminal underground scene at the time.

Besides the group of seven, the Met's May show will present the work of 100 designers, tracing the original "do-it-yourself" punk looks scoured from dumpsters and junk drawers to contemporary adaptations of studs and feathers currently found on the runway.

In addition to Hell, the goddess of punk, Vivienne Westwood, also has a gallery dedicated to her legacy. "Punk was a call-to-arms for me," the British designer told Vogue in an interview last year.

Scroll through the slideshow below to see punk icons Patti Smith, Sid Vicious and Joe Strummer juxtaposed with their counterparts on the runway.

PUNK: Chaos to Couture
(01 of20)
Open Image Modal
Patti Smith, late 1970sCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by Caroline Coon, Camera Press (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(02 of20)
Open Image Modal
John Lydon, 1976Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by Ray Stevenson/Rex USA (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(03 of20)
Open Image Modal
Sid Vicious, 1977Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph © Dennis Morris - all rights reserved (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(04 of20)
Open Image Modal
Joe Strummer, late 1970sCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph © Pennie Smith (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(05 of20)
Open Image Modal
Jordan, 1977Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph from Rex USA (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(06 of20)
Open Image Modal
Gary Wilson, 1977Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph © Roberta Bayley (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(07 of20)
Open Image Modal
Hussein Chalayan (British, born Cyprus, 1970), spring/summer 2003Dazed and Confused, March 2003, Photograph by Eric Nehr (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(08 of20)
Open Image Modal
Comme des Garçons (Japanese, founded 1969), spring/summer 2006Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by Catwalking (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(09 of20)
Open Image Modal
Karl Lagerfeld (French, born Hamburg, 1938) for House of Chanel (French, founded 1913)Vogue, March 2011Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by David Sims (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(10 of20)
Open Image Modal
John Lydon, 1976Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by Ray Stevenson/Rex USA (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(11 of20)
Open Image Modal
John Lydon, 1976Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by Richard Young/Rex USA (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(12 of20)
Open Image Modal
Helmut Lang (Austrian, born 1956), fall/winter 2003–4Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by Catwalking (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(13 of20)
Open Image Modal
Joe Strummer, 1977Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by Ray Stevenson/Rex USA (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(14 of20)
Open Image Modal
Ann Demeulemeester (Belgian, born 1959), spring/summer 2000Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by Catwalking (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(15 of20)
Open Image Modal
Maison Martin Margiela (founded 1988), spring/summer 2011Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph © Nathalie Sanchez for Maison Martin Margiela (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(16 of20)
Open Image Modal
Paul Cook, late 1970sCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph © Dennis Morris - all rights reserved (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(17 of20)
Open Image Modal
Rodarte (American, founded 2005)Vogue, July 2008Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by David Sims (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(18 of20)
Open Image Modal
Junya Watanabe (Japanese, born 1961), fall/winter 2006–7Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by Catwalking (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(19 of20)
Open Image Modal
Gianni Versace (Italian, founded 1978), spring/summer 1994Vogue Paris, February 1994Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph © Satoshi Saïkusa (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
(20 of20)
Open Image Modal
Richard Hell, late 1970sCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph © Kate Simon (credit:Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Correction: In an earlier version of this article, we listed the band Television as Richard Hell's rise to fame, but his work with the Voidoids is probably more apt.

This story appears in the special Summer Issue of our weekly iPad magazine, Huffington, in the iTunes App store, available Friday, May 24.

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip