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Design by Vincenzo Brenna

This highly finished and elegantly drawn design was executed by the Italian architect, interior decorator and decorative painter Vincenzo Brenna (1745-1820) around 1776. It represents the vault of the Eagle Room of the Domus Aurea, the Roman palace built by Emperor Nero shortly after the great fire of Rome in AD 64.

History of Black Performance in Britain

The first black people to arrive in the UK were probably an African platoon stationed by the Roman army on Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland in the 3rd century, but records of performance start from the 13th century...

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Computer Art at the Victoria and Albert Museum

Ben Laposky, 'Oscillon 40', 1952. Museum no. E.958-2008

The V&A has been collecting computer-generated art and design since the 1960s. More recently, the Museum acquired two significant collections of computer-generated art and design, and together these form the basis of the UK's emerging national collection of Computer Art.

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The Importance of Being Earnest

Background information about 'The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oscar Wilde examining this popular and witty play, and its author, using objects and images from the collections of the Theatre and Performance Department.

Craft Council Designer in Residence Mary Butcher, Artist Basketmaker

Mary Butcher Contemporary Designer in Residence

Mary Butcher trained with a traditional Basketmaker using willow and then rush, making functional items for local markets, but a Research Fellowship at Manchester Metropolitan University changed all that ...

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Telling Tales

This exhibition explores the recent trend among European designers for unique or limited edition pieces that push the boundaries between art and design. It showcases furniture, lighting and ceramics, designed by a new generation of international designers.

Designing Democracy: Posters and the Political Transformation of Europe 1989-1991

Detail from a poster issued by Sajÿdis, 'We've already "voted" for them', Jonas Varnas, 1989. Museum no. E.3108-1990

Between 1989 and 1991 the cold-war status quo was radically brought to an end by a series of revolutions and political transformations that swept across Central and Eastern Europe. During these momentous events, designers produced dozens of posters to record injustice and 'blank spots' in official history, as well as to encourage people to join in the task of creating democracy.

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British Watercolours 1750 - 1900

The South Kensington Museum, opened in 1857. The first catalogue of the museum's collection of watercolours was published only nineteen years later in 1876, by which time the museum had acquired nearly 500 watercolours.

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From Sketch to Product

What do design drawings tell us about the process of design? How does a designer record those important moments of conception, while also communicating vital details about construction, function, surface and style? This blog is a conversation between two tutors at the Royal College of Art - Glenn Adamson (V&A/RCA History of Design) and Tristan Webber (Womenswear) and it documents their explorations of the V&A's vast design drawings collection.

Buddhist Pilgrimage

In the centuries since the Buddha's death, pilgrims have travelled from every part of Asia to visit sacred sites in India, the heartland of Buddhism. For those pilgrims who were unable to make the journey to India, pilgrimage centres in other countries developed at sites associated with Buddhism.

Mona Choo's Blog

As an artist working predominantly in printmaking, Mona hopes to develop work using new technology, experimenting with 'active' inks and pushing the limits of paper. Mona also wants to explore the boundaries between paper and fabric/textile.

Find, Make, Wear

In September 2008 the Victoria and Albert Museum set up a group on the photo sharing website flickr called Find, Make, Wear in conjunction with artist jeweller Professor Dorothy Hogg MBE. This page features a selection of some of the most creative contributions, as selected by Dorothy Hogg.

Women and the Renaissance

The medieval and Renaissance collections at the V&A have many objects that reveal the lives of women. Ranging from jewellery to ceramics, most are precious items that would have belonged to the wealthy. This reflects what has survived but also what was collected by the Museum.