On show at Somerset House between 2001 and 2008, the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection has been on permanent display at the V&A since 2009, in a suite of four dedicated galleries (Room 70 to 73).
If you intended to visit the collection though, you may have a surprise! At the moment the Gilbert galleries are closed to facilitate the Exhibition Road Building project and should re-open in late 2015/early 2016.
“What stands behind these closed doors?” you might wonder. Well, a few months ago we decanted the Gilbert Galleries. This means that we had to empty all the display cases in order to transfer the objects to secure storage facilities. The reason behind it is the safety of the collection: we wanted to protect the objects on show from the vibrations caused by the drilling and digging of the Exhibition Road project’s construction work. A lot of the Gilbert pieces include fragile materials, such as micromosaics, translucent enamels, glass, terracotta and porcelain, which are particularly sensitive to repeated and sustained vibrations. After consulting with V&A conservators, we thus established a list of vulnerable objects that needed to be prioritised and decanted by January 2014.
© The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the V&A, London
© The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the V&A, London
We initially planned to take the rest of the collection off display as late as possible, so that visitors could enjoy the galleries until June 2014. However, due to some changes in the construction programme, it was decided that the second phase should be completed by the end of March, giving us just under a month to decant cases. We started with smaller pieces, which colleagues from the department kindly helped us to relocate. For larger pieces, our incredibly efficient team of technicians gave us a hand.
© Courtesy of Heledd Griffith
© Courtesy of Heledd Griffith
All items will remain on site to allow their swift re-installation as soon as building work allows, and to ensure easy access for loans, exhibitions and research. Although I knew from the start that this would be part of my role as an assistant curator for the Gilbert Collection, I have to admit it felt a bit strange to empty the galleries so soon after joining the Museum. But I quickly realised that not displaying pieces in their usual environment does not mean our effort to make them accessible to everyone is at a standstill – it is quite the opposite actually. So watch this space for more information about what we are up to!
