David Bowie exhibition at London’s V&A has become the fastest-selling in the museum’s history with more than 42,000 advance tickets being already sold for the retrospective which opens to the public on Saturday.

Sales are more than double the number of advance tickets of London’s V&A ‘s previous exhibitions.

David Bowie Is will explore the creative processes of the singer as a musical innovator and cultural icon across five decades.

His first album in a decade became the fastest-selling of the year earlier this week.

The Next Day is David Bowie’s first number one since 1993’s Black Tie White Noise.

Although David Bowie, 66, is not directly involved with curating the V&A exhibition, the David Bowie Archive gave the London museum “unprecedented access” to pick out flamboyant costumes, early photographs and other memorabilia.

David Bowie exhibition at London’s V&A has become the fastest-selling in the museum’s history with more than 42,000 advance tickets

On display will be more than 60 stage-costumes including Ziggy Stardust bodysuits (1972) designed by Freddie Burretti, Kansai Yamamoto’s flamboyant creations for the Aladdin Sane tour (1973) and the Union Jack coat designed by David Bowie and Alexander McQueen for the Earthling album cover (1997).Personal items such as handwritten set lists and lyrics, as well as some of David Bowie’s own sketches, musical scores and diary entries will also be shown.

David Bowie’s innovative approach to creating albums and touring shows centered around fictionalized stage personas, with 1972 marking the birth of his most famous creation Ziggy Stardust – a human manifestation of an alien being.

Ziggy’s androgynous and otherworldly appearance had a powerful influence on pop culture and signaled a challenge of social traditions.

David Bowie’s many hits over the years include Space Oddity, Changes, The Jean Genie, Young Americans, Ashes to Ashes, China Girl and Let’s Dance.