DIVA
Saturday 28 June—Sunday 19 October
Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum proudly presents DIVA, a major international exhibition exploring the extraordinary power and creativity of performers who have shaped culture, challenged norms, and captivated audiences worldwide. Opening Saturday 28 June 2025, DIVA comes exclusively to Auckland Museum from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A).
Featuring icons such as Maria Callas, Elizabeth Taylor, Madonna, Cher, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, and Rihanna, DIVA will reveal how the diva has been subverted or embraced, across gender, genres, and history.
DIVA showcases over 280 objects, including fashion, photography, costumes, music, and design, featuring trailblazing performers who have made their voices heard from the 19th century to today.
Through theatrical staging and an Immersive musical soundtrack experience, DIVA explores stories of creativity, ambition, and resilience of some the world’s best-known divas, from opera goddesses and silent movie stars to Hollywood legends and today’s global megastars.
The exhibition also looks at how the performer has intersected with society and driven change through their platform and profile for social good and political change, including global civil rights and feminism.
Included in the exhibition are over 50 diva looks that have rarely been seen on public display, including:
- A stage ensemble worn by Maria Callas as the title role of ‘Norma’ (1952)
- The fringed black dress worn by Marilyn Monroe as Sugar “Kane” Kowalczyk in ‘Some Like it Hot’ (1959)
- The only known surviving dress worn by Clara Bow, rarely seen outside of the U.S
- Iconic costumes designed by fashion designer for the stars Bob Mackie, including looks worn by Tina Turner, P!nk and Cher
- A Louis XIV inspired look with towering powdered wig and train worn by Elton John for his 50th birthday celebration, designed by Sandy Powell
- Shirley Bassey’s couture pink gown designed by Julien MacDonald including diamanté-studded Wellington boots, worn on stage at Glastonbury (2007)
For Auckland Museum’s exhibition, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa has lent her millennium coat, worn at the New Year’s Day 2000 performance that was broadcast to one billion people around the world.
