The family of art, design and performance museums · V&A
Explore the V&A, a museum dedicated to art, design, and performance, featuring unique collections and exhibitions.
V&A South Kensington
Opens Saturday, 20 September 2025. V&A South Kensington. Tickets available soon. More info. Jameel Prize: Moving Images. Opens Saturday, 30 November 2024. Energy: Sparks from the Collection. Closes Sunday, 18 May 2025. Lucian Freud's Etchings: A Creative Collaboration.
Visit V&A South Kensington · V&A
Cromwell Road,London, SW7 2RL. V&A South Kensington is open seven days a week. General admission is free and you don’t need to book. Look at our Digital Map – or one of our trails. For self-guided formal education group visits, including schools, colleges and nurseries, please see our schools page.
Visit the V&A
Plan your visit to the V&A family of museums. Our venues in South Kensington, Bethnal Green, Dundee and Stoke-on-Trent are open and free to visit now.
What is Postmodernism? - V&A
Postmodernism was a drastic departure from the utopian visions of Modernism, which had been based on clarity and simplicity. The Modernists wanted to open a window onto a new world; Postmodernism's key principles were complexity and contradiction. If Modernist objects suggested utopia, progress and machine-like perfection, then the Postmodern ...
Stained glass: an introduction - V&A
Stained-glass windows, made up of coloured and painted glass pieces held together by lead strips, were especially popular in Europe in the period between 1150 and 1550, when they were a prominent feature of cathedrals and other churches, as well as city halls and homes for the elite. Its translucent qualities made stained glass especially ...
The story of Michelangelo's David - V&A
The finished statue was popularly known as 'The Giant' and quickly became a symbol of liberty for the Florentine people. However, the statue's vulnerable position in the piazza exposed the sculpture to weathering and vandalism, and so, at the beginning of the 19th century, the concerned council chose to move it to a safer location for preservation.
The Baroque style - V&A
The Baroque is a highly ornate and elaborate style of architecture, art and design that flourished in Europe in the 17th and first half of the 18th century. Originating in Italy, its influence quickly spread across Europe and it became the first visual style to have a significant worldwide impact. A defining characteristic of the Baroque style ...
The Origins of Ballet - Victoria and Albert Museum - V&A
Ballet and opera began in the 17th century, with the elaborate spectacles devised at European courts. These were flamboyant entertainments used to celebrate marriages or show off the wealth and power of the ruler. The performances were a mixture of spoken word, music, dance and pantomime. They contained ceremonial processions with spectacular ...
Fashion - V&A
Fashion. Spanning five centuries, our Fashion collection is the largest and most comprehensive collection of dress in the world. Key items in the collection include rare 17th century gowns, 18th century ‘mantua’ dresses, 1930s eveningwear, 1960s daywear and post-war couture. The collection is particularly strong from the 18th century ...