Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
Cromwell Road
South Kensington
London
Greater London
SW7 2RL
England
Website
Telephone
Events Bookings
020 7942 2211
Exhibitions Bookings
020 7907 7073
Fax
020 7942 2266
The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) is the world’s greatest museum of art and design.
Venue Type:
Museum
Additional info
See website for details
The Victoria and Albert Museum's collections span two thousand years of art in virtually every medium, from many parts of the world, and visitors to the museum encounter a treasure house of amazing and beautiful objects. The Museum was established in 1852, following the enormous success of the Great Exhibition the previous year. Its founding principle was to make works of art available to all, to educate working people and to inspire British designers and manufacturers.
The Museum's ceramics, glass, textiles, dress, silver, ironwork, jewellery, furniture, sculpture, paintings, prints and photographs now span the cultures of Europe, North America, Asia and North Africa, and date from ancient times to the present day.
Although the V&A's collections are international in their scope, they contain many particularly important British works - especially British silver, ceramics, textiles and furniture.
Part of the RIBA Trust's British Architecture Library, a Designated Collection of national importance, is on display at this museum.
The collection provides comprehensive coverage of all aspects of architecture. It is fundamental to the study of architecture in Britain and is nationally and internationally significant.
Items from this collection
Collection details
World Cultures, Weapons and War, Toys and Hobbies, Social History, Photography, Personalities, Performing Arts, Music, Fine Art, Design, Decorative and Applied Art, Costume and Textiles, Archives, Architecture, Archaeology
Key artists and exhibits
- The British Galleries 1500-1900 tell the story of British design from the Tudor age to the Victorian era. Fifteen completely refurbished galleries are filled with exhibits reflecting all of the top British designers of the times. The galleries are enhanced by computer interactives, objects to handle, video screens and audio programmes. Highlights include the gigantic Great Bed of Ware (mentioned in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night) and the wedding suit worn by James II. Inspirational, beautiful and unmatched in scope, the British Galleries offer an entirely new visitor experience in a stunning and innovative setting.
- Designated Collection
British Drawings: 1600 to the Present Day
- 5 October 2013 — 13 April 2014 *on now
Covering 400 years of drawing practice and including works by Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Constable, Blake, Rossetti, Spencer, Freud and Hockney, this display traces the central role played by drawing in portraiture and ‘landskip’, and in movements from Romanticism to Minimalism.
Innovative contemporary works demonstrate drawing’s continuing importance for artists.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
Admission
Free.
Website
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/b/british-drawings-1600-to-the-present-day/
Alec Cobbe: Designer, Collector, Connoisseur
- 18 December 2013 — 18 May 2014 *on now
For over 40 years Alec Cobbe has been a key figure in the understanding and presentation of historic painting collections and interiors. He has also pursued a multi-faceted career as a designer, painter, picture restorer, collector and connoisseur. This display is drawn from the drawings, photographs and other archives which Alec Cobbe has generously donated to the V&A.
Suitable for
Admission
Free
William Kent: Designing Georgian Britain
- 22 March — 13 July 2014
Experience the world of William Kent, the most prominent architect and designer in early Georgian Britain and explore how his versatility and artistic inventiveness set the style for his age when Britain defined itself as a new nation and developed an Italian-inspired style.
This exhibition will bring together over 200 objects including architectural drawings for such prominent buildings as the Treasury and Horse Guards at Whitehall, designs for landscape gardens, sculpture, furniture, silver as well as paintings and illustrated books.
Celebrating Kent’s art over three decades (1719-48) this exhibition will show the breadth and ingenuity of the Kentian style, ranging from spectacular gilt furniture to vivid interiors such as Houghton Hall, Chiswick House and his landscape gardens at Rousham, Holkham Hall and elsewhere.
Suitable for
- Any age
Website
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/william-kent-designing-georgian-britain/
The Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945 - 2014
- 5 April — 27 July 2014
This major exhibition is a glamorous, comprehensive look at Italian Fashion from the end of the Second World War to the present day. The story is explored through the key individuals and organisations that have contributed to its reputation for quality and style.
On display are around 90 ensembles and accessories for men and women by leading Italian fashion houses including Simonetta, Pucci, Sorelle Fontana, Valentino, Gucci, Missoni, Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and Versace, through to the next generation of fashion talent.
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
£13.50 Full, including donation* (+£1.40 booking fee per ticket)
£11 Senior citizens, including donation* (+£1.20 booking fee per ticket)
£12 Full (+£1.40 booking fee per ticket)
£10 Senior citizens (+£1.20 booking fee per ticket)
£8 Full-time students, 12 - 17 year olds, ES40 holders, disabled people (+£1.20 booking fee per ticket)
£20 (+£2.80 booking fee per ticket)/£32 (+£3.20 booking fee per ticket). Family tickets (one adult & two 12 - 17 year olds/ two adults and two 12 - 17 year olds)
Website
A World to Win: Posters of Protest and Revolution
- 1 May — 2 November 2014
From the ‘Votes for Women’ campaigns of the early 20th century to the recent Occupy movements, political activists around the world have used posters to mobilise, educate and organise. Making or displaying a poster is in itself a means of taking political action, while for many social and political movements posters have represented an important form of cultural output. Themes of protest and political participation have gained a powerful contemporary resonance in the wake of the Arab Spring and the global financial crisis. This display looks at a century of posters agitating for political change drawn from the V&A collection, including new acquisitions gathered from recent outbursts of protest.
Suitable for
Admission
Free
Wedding Dresses 1775-2014
- 3 May — 15 March 2014
This exhibition will trace the development of the fashionable white wedding dress and its treatment by key fashion designers such as Charles Frederick Worth, Norman Hartnell, Charles James, John Galliano, Christian Lacroix, Vivienne Westwood and Vera Wang offering a panorama of fashion over the last two centuries.
On display will be the most romantic, glamorous and extravagant wedding dresses from the V&A’s superb collection and will include some important new acquisitions as well as loans including the purple dress worn by Dita Von Teese for her marriage to Marilyn Manson.
The exhibition will highlight the histories of the dresses, revealing fascinating details about the lives of the wearers and offering an intimate insight into their circumstances and fashion choices.
Suitable for
- Any age
Admission
£13.50 Full, including donation* (+£1.40 booking fee per ticket)
£11.50 Senior citizens, including donation* (+£1.20 booking fee per ticket)
£12.00 Full (+£1.40 booking fee per ticket)
£10.00 Senior citizens (+£1.00 booking fee per ticket)
£8.00 Full-time students, 12-17 year olds, ES40 holders, disabled (+£1.00 booking fee per ticket)
£20.00 Family of 1 adult & 2 12-17 year olds (+£2.80 booking fee per family ticket)
£32.00 Family of 2 adults & 2 12-17 year olds (+£3.20 booking fee per family ticket)
Website
Disobedient Objects
- 26 July 2014 — 1 February 2015
From Suffragette teapots to protest robots, this exhibition will be the first to examine the powerful role of objects in movements for social change. It will demonstrate how political activism drives a wealth of design ingenuity and collective creativity that defy standard definitions of art and design.
Disobedient Objects will focus on the period from 1980 to the present, a time that has brought new technologies and political challenges. On display will be arts of rebellion from around the world that illuminate the role of making in grassroots movements for social change: finely woven banners; defaced currency; changing designs for barricades and blockades; political video games; an inflatable general assembly to facilitate consensus decision-making; experimental activist-bicycles; and textiles bearing witness to political murders.
Suitable for
- Any age
Website
Constable: The Making of a Master
- 20 September 2014 — 11 January 2015
This exhibition will reveal the hidden stories of how Constable created some of his most loved and well-known paintings. It will present Constable’s work for the first time alongside the old masters of classical landscape such as Ruisdael and Claude whose compositional ideas and formal values he revered and studied in great depth.
On display will be such famous works as The Haywain together with the oil sketches he painted outdoors direct from nature which are widely held to be unequalled at capturing transient effects of light and atmosphere. The exhibition will also examine Constable’s collection of over 5000 etchings, a vital resource for his own image making, as well as the mezzotints of his paintings made in the last decade of his life to secure his lasting legacy.
Suitable for
- Any age
Website
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-constable-the-making-of-a-master/
In Black and White: Prints and Posters from Africa and the Diaspora
- 1 November 2014 — 1 June 2015
This display features a variety of powerful graphic images from the 1960s to the present – prints, posters, books and ephemera – by notable artists as well as anonymous activists. Some works address social and political issues head on, others reflect their time and place more subtly, but they all confirm print as a vital medium for personal expression, protest, and cultural exchange.
Suitable for
Admission
Free
Open Studios: Ceramic Design Resident
- 15 March 2014 1-4pm
James is interested in the V&A building itself, and by exploring hidden and behind-the-scenes spaces, aims to bring to life the building’s fascinating history. In his studio you can find the spoils of his adventures around the Museum (including a great collection of V&A paint colours), hear the stories he has collected along the way, and see drawings and preparatory work for his ceramic pieces.
Supported by William and Valerie Brake
Suitable for
- Family friendly
Admission
Free, drop in
Website
http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/event/3001/james-rigler-ceramics-resident-4382/
Open Studios: Games Design Resident
- 12 March 2014 1-4pm
Visit her studio to learn more about how you design a digital game and to see how her project is progressing. Sophia will be creating a little games hub in her studio over the course of her residency, with video games to play and gaming artwork on display.
A partnership between the V&A, V&A at Dundee and the University of Abertay Dundee.
Organised in collaboration with The Association for UKInteractive Entertainment (UKIE)
Suitable for
- Family friendly
Admission
Free, drop in
Website
http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/event/3000/sophia-george-games-design-resident-4381/
William Morris: Love and Symbolism in Stitch
- 9 March 2014 10:30am-4:30pm *on now
Inspired by the symbolism within William Morris’s designs and his relationship with Jane Morris, you will experiment with a variety of threads and hand embroidery stitches to create a beautiful stitched piece to take home. Suitable for beginners and improvers.
Led by Sarah Homfray
Saturday 8 – Sunday 9 March, 10.30 – 16.30
Suitable for
- Not suitable for children
- 18+
Admission
£126.00, £101.00 for concessions.
Website
http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/event/3074/william-morris-love-symbolism-in-stitch-4467/
Create! Manga
- 15 March 2014 11am-4pm
16-19 year olds: Saturday 8 March
13-15 year olds: Saturday 15 March
There is only a 30 minute lunch break so it advisable to bring a packed lunch.
Led by Karen Rubins
Suitable for
- Especially for children
Admission
£15
Website
http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/event/2983/create-manga-4364/
Pam Hogg: 1980s Club Fashion to 21st Century Pop Princess
- 14 March 2014 7-8:45pm
She emerged in the 1980s as part of a new wave of London-based fashion designers. Since then she has enjoyed immense success, with Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Kate Moss wearing her recent collections. Organised by V&A Membership.
Suitable for
- Not suitable for children
- 18+
Admission
£15.00, no concessions (includes wine reception).
Website
Create! Upcycle Textile Design 16 to 19 Years
- 15 March 2014 11am-4pm
Learn sewing skills and recycle your own cotton bag or t-shirt. Led by Emma Neuberg of Textiles Hub London. There is only a 30min lunch break so it is advisable to bring a packed lunch. You can bring your own old cotton bag or t-shirt.
Suitable for
- Especially for children
- 7-10
- 11-13
- 14-15
- 16-17
Admission
£15.00
Website
http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/event/2984/create-upcycle-textile-design-4365/
A. A. Gill
- 21 March 2014 6:30-7:30pm
Several decades later he is one of Britain’s best-known and controversial columnists who also writes on a variety of subjects including television and film, collecting, travel and national identities. He discusses his ideas and his career with the broadcaster Paul Allen
Suitable for
- Not suitable for children
Admission
£9, £6 concessions
Website
http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/event/3050/a-a-gill-4440/
Introducing Robin and Lucienne Day
- 22 March 2014 2-5pm
Often compared to their US contemporaries Charles and Ray Eames, Robin and Lucienne Day mostly worked independently in separate fields; when placed side by side however, their designs for furniture, ceramics and furnishings work in harmony.
Suitable for
- Not suitable for children
Admission
£25, £20 concessions, £10 students
Website
http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/event/3081/introducing-robin-and-lucienne-day-4474/
Angela Missoni
- 28 March 2014 From 6pm
Missoni is renowned for its colourful and highly distinctive patterned knitwear featuring stripes, geometrics and abstract florals. Its designs have always been hugely popular among celebrities, with clients including Demi Moore, Cameron Diaz, Sharon Stone, Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts.
Suitable for
- Not suitable for children
Admission
£9, £6 concessions
Website
http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/event/3052/angela-missoni-italian-fashion-4442/
PIP Take the Stage
- 29 March 2014 3-4pm
This exciting blend of music, movement, imagery and storytelling will weave together unique characters and fictional lives inspired by the V&A’s collections.
PIP (Pursuing Independent Paths) is a charity which supports adults with learning disabilities to achieve their potential.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
Admission
£10, £7 concessions
Website
http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/event/3100/pip-take-the-stage-4492/
Architectural Style
http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/architecture/style_level1.php?id=0
Website with pictures and descriptions of a broad range of architectural styles, historical and contemporary Western, Asian and Islamic. There is also an interactive Style Quiz.
Design Your Own Arts and Crafts Tile
http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1312_artsandcrafts/design_a_tile/
Drop-in Design
http://www.vam.ac.uk/activ_events/families/index.html
Hunt for ideas in the gallery then have a go at your own designs, using a design challenge. Creative sessions in the V&A's Sackler Centre on Sundays between 10.30 and 17.00, for all ages.
How to obtain
Drop-in Design events are free and there is no need to book - just drop in.
Egyptian Style Art Deco Head-dress`
http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1157_art_deco/kids/
Make Your Own Thaumatrope
http://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/kids/things_to_make/thaumatrope/index.html
Wallpaper Design
http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1185_families/flash/
Getting there
London Underground (The Tube): The V&A is a five minute walk from South Kensington underground station (on the Piccadilly, Circle and District Line). South Kensington is a five minute tube journey from Victoria, ten minutes from Covent Garden and Leicester Square and 15 minutes from King's Cross St Pancras.
The V&A is a ten minute walk from Knightsbridge underground station (on the Piccadilly Line). Knightsbridge is a ten minute tube journey from Covent Garden and Leicester Square and 15 minutes from Kings Cross St Pancras.
Bus: Buses C1, 14, 74 and 414 stop outside the Cromwell Road entrance. The Open Tour stop outside the Museum as part of their Double Decker Bus site-seeing tour of London.
- About
- | Collections
- | Exhibitions
- | Events
- | Resources
- | Map
