Ann Ray, Inside, 2000, 40 x 30 cm. Silver Gelatin Print. Image courtesy of Ann Ray and Barrett Barrera Projects. Via

SACRAMENTO, CALIF.- The Crocker Art Museum is presenting Lee Alexander McQueen & Ann Ray: Rendez-Vous. The first high-fashion exhibition being presented at the Crocker, Rendez-Vous pairs photography and related garments in its Sacramento début, which will be followed by a multi-city tour. The exhibition is curated and organized by Barrett Barrera Projects and will be on view through April 2, 2023.

The exhibition explores the thirteen-year friendship and intimate creative collaboration between the late British fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen and French photographer Ann Ray, whom McQueen personally selected to document his design process and the behind-the-scenes experience of his runway shows. Brilliant and provocative, McQueen designed for his own label, led design at Givenchy between 1996 and 2001, and partnered with Gucci from 1999 until his death in 2010. Ann Ray, who met McQueen when he was named lead designer at Givenchy, is not only a photographer, but also a filmmaker and poet.

Alexander McQueen (British, 1969-2010), Gown with Mother Mary Print from Angels and Demons, Autumn/Winter 2010. Photo by Sarah Carmody. Courtesy of Barrett Barrera Projects & RKL Consulting

“You know, it was simple. He was part of my life, we loved each other, I had rendez-vous,” said Ray. McQueen and Ray’s friendship began with a simple agreement in which money, business considerations, and fashion had no place. “I like your images, but I’m broke. Give me your photos, I’ll give you clothes,” Ray recalls McQueen expressing to her early in their relationship.

With exotic materials and impeccable tailoring, McQueen’s creative range is on display in 50 enchanting creations, with runway moments and garments captured in 63 of Ray’s dynamic photographs. Barrett Barrera Projects manages the largest private collection of McQueen’s work and is the owner of Ann Ray’s full McQueen photographic archive.

Ann Ray (French, born 1969), Disappearance, 2010. Archival gelatin silver print. Courtesy of Barrett Barrera Projects

"We are delighted to host this exhibition exploring two dynamic creative minds, their collaboration, and their exciting creations," said Lial A. Jones, the Crocker's Mort and Marcy Friedman Director and CEO. "We all look forward to this unique insight into the world of fashion, a new subject for the Crocker's exhibitions."

Adjoining the exhibition, the Crocker created an interactive space that allows visitors of all ages an opportunity to think about McQueen and Ray's work through experiential activities.

Alexander McQueen (British, 1969-2010), Dress from Eshu collection, Autumn/Winter 2000. Glass bead and synthetic horsehair over fabric. Courtesy of Barrett Barrera Projects and RKL Consulting.

Lee Alexander McQueen was a British fashion designer who founded the iconic, eponymous label, served as chief designer of Givenchy from 1996 to 2001, and collaborated with Gucci from 1999 to 2010, the year of his death. McQueen was known for designing outside the conventions of the fashion world, often taking inspiration from avant-garde installations, theatre, performance art, and gothic fairytales. The immersive experience of his runway shows allowed fashion to transcend commodification. McQueen saw fashion as an artistic medium, one capable of evoking the sublime and providing commentary on identity, culture, values, and politics. His work has been shown at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum in the solo exhibition Savage Beauty.

Ann Ray is a French visual artist. She is self-taught in photography, except for alternative processes, which she studied at Central Saint Martins in London. During the late nineties, she lived in Tokyo and London, where she forged an unbreakable relationship with Lee Alexander McQueen, whom she immediately recognized as a pure artist. This was the start of an intense friendship and artistic collaboration that was as prolific as it was unique. From 1997 until the designer’s tragic end in 2010, Ann Ray’s caring gaze captured the spirit of the man and the essence of his work in many intimate situations: portrait sessions, at work in the studio, during performances – images of truth that reveal McQueen’s creativity.

Ann Ray (French, born 1969), Insensé II, 1998. Archival gelatin silver print. Courtesy of Barrett Barrera Projects

Alexander McQueen (British, 1969–2010), Four-panel minidress, Crystal kaleidoscopic print blazer, and Multicolor silk moth print kaleidoscope dress from Natural Dis-tinction, Un-natural Selection, Spring/Summer 2009 and Plato’s Atlantis, Spring/Summer 2010. Photo by Barrett Barrera Projects. Courtesy of Barrett Barrera Projects & RKL Consulting