The opening of the Holly Johnson Story marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s album Welcome to the Pleasuredome, which features Relax, Two Tribes, and The Power of Love.
National Museums Liverpool has partnered with local arts organisations Homotopia and DuoVision, in collaboration with Holly Johnson, to deliver this landmark exhibition. It will take visitors on a journey through Holly’s outstanding career, from his early years in Liverpool to international stardom.
The exhibition is part of a project that has documented LGBTQ+ heritage by working with sexual health and wellness charity Sahir, to explore Holly’s archive and capture the stories of local LGBTQ+ people in oral history sessions and community workshops.
The exhibition features unique items from Holly Johnson’s career, including iconic costumes by Leigh Bowery and Vivienne Westwood, Frankie Goes to Hollywood memorabilia, personal audio accounts of people living with HIV in Liverpool, produced in collaboration with Sahir House, and paintings by Holly himself.
Social and political unrest in a changing 1980s Britain led to a cultural revolution, set against a backdrop of synth-pop music and experimental sounds. The era was a time of innovation and rebellion, punks, and new wave bands, and Holly Johnson stood at the forefront.
“The opportunity to mount this exhibition is like winning the National Lottery. As a teenager, Music and Art were my passions: reading Jean Genet and William Burroughs, listening to the music of The Beatles, Marc Bolan, David Bowie and The Velvet Underground, and seeing the films of Derek Jarman and Andy Warhol along with his supercharged colour paintings. Pondering over Peter Blake’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band artwork as a child led me ultimately to Hollywood and back again. Everything I was ever drawn to, through a lens of Queerness and controversy, I brought with me into the future we live in now.”
Holly Johnson
The gay scene in the 1980s
The Holly Johnson Story charts Holly’s early personal life and career, from a young musician to an internationally renowned, openly gay star, living in the public eye. Dealing with the price of fame, coping with an HIV+ diagnosis and the unwanted negative press, whilst going it alone as a monumental LGBTQ+ icon.
Through polarising emotions of glamour and sexual liberation, alongside fear, loss, and stigma, The Holly Johnson Story tells the stories of people who experienced the gay scene in the 1980s and the devastating impact and legacy of HIV.
Where and when is The Holly Johnson Story?
The Holly Johnson Story opens at the Museum of Liverpool on Saturday 14 September 2024 running until Sunday 27 July 2025.
