Last year the V&A attracted record visitor attendance for the fourth time in row – over 3.3 million people came through our doors at South Kensington to look, to learn and to be inspired. We had some amazing exhibitions last year. 2013 saw the tail end of Hollywood Costume which featured some of the most memorable costumes worn by some of the most iconic film characters in movie history. My favourite was Sugar Cane’s dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot.
We followed that with what must have been the global event of the year – David Bowie is. What a phenomenon that was. It proved to be our fastest-selling exhibition ever and hundreds of thousands of people came to see and experience the world of David Bowie in our exhibition and through our first ever live cinema event. By contrast in the Autumn, we presented the exquisite Masterpieces of Chinese Paintings and we let leading contemporary artists loose in our collection to present the extraordinary Tomorrow installation complete with For Sale sign adorning the front of our building. There was so much more but these are very much my highlights.
This film shows that the V&A is for everyone. It’s a place where people can come and see beautiful things, understand about design in their lives and be inspired to create. This Year – 2014 – is our year of Fashion and it promises to be one of our very best ever. Do come and see, and enjoy everything the V&A has to offer.
