V&A Network

V&A’s Frank Lloyd Wright room on view at Tate Britain

By Christopher Wilk, Keeper, Furniture, Textiles & Fashion Department. In an installation commissioned for Tate Britain’s major Kurt Schwitters exhibition, the artist Adam Chodzko has reconfigured the V&A’s Kaufmann Office designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.  Designed in 1937, the office was used by Edgar Kaufmann in his Pittsburgh department store until...
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Kaufmann Office, Frank Lloyd Wright, 1937. Museum no. W.9:1 to 240-1974.

Victoria and Albert Museum Archives join the V&A Network Blog

By Nicholas Smith, Archivist. Did you know that Henry Cole (1808-1882), the V&A’s first director, started his professional career as an archivist – ‘sub-commissioner’ was his actual job title – in the Records Commission (the forerunner of the National Archives)? Here he undertook the important archival work of calendaring, indexing, sorting, transcribing, and...
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Henry Cole, cartoon printed in Vanity Fair, 1871. Museum no. E.2178-1932

The Power of Love

By Sue Prichard When I agreed to give the lunchtime lecture ‘Making Love at the V&A’ I had no idea the title would generate such a flurry of anticipation, and indeed trepidation. 'Timeout’ appeared to be a little disappointed, describing it as ‘perhaps unfortunately not what it sounds like’.  One member of the audience made no bones about it ‘I...
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Love, print, Robert Indiana, 1967. Museum no. circ.576-1968

The Year of the Snake

Sunday 10 February marks Chinese New Year. As the year of the Dragon ends and the year of the Snake begins, what better time to celebrate all things serpentine? Netsuke featuring all 12 animals of the East Asian zodiac, Ipposai, Japan, about 1825 - 1875. Museum no. A.920-1910 The V&A holds a vast and comprehensive collection of Chinese art, going as far back as 3000BC. This figure of a snake...
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Dish, Bernard Palissy, 1570 - 1590. Museum no. C.2313-1910
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The V&A Network is a blog for anyone interested in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

It is where we explore and share our ideas and our work and where you can discover more about what happens behind-the-scenes in the Museum.

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