Contemporary Art & Design in the Archive of Art & Design

Sketchbook page, Antoni and Alison, mid 1980s. Museum no. AAD/1997/20

The V&A's Archive of Art and Design holds the working papers of individual artists and designers, as well as the records of companies and associations involved in all aspects of applied art and design. The archives can be consulted by appointment at Blythe House, located near Olympia in West London.

The Victoria and Albert Museum is not just a museum of the past, but also the present and the future, and is committed to collecting the best of today's art, design and visual culture. A wide range of exhibitions, events and displays have been planned to bring international design from around the world to the Museum.

The Archive of Art and Design, within the V&A, also strives to ensure that its collections support this mission and has archives with a contemporary focus. Individual designers, companies and organisations listed below are either still being added to, such as Habitat or Antoni + Alison, or are recent reflections on the current art and design scene in the UK.

For more details please consult the Guide to the Archive of Art and Design, Victoria & Albert Museum by Elizabeth Lomas (London: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2001), which not only lists the AAD archives, but also identifies related material in the V&A Museum and other institutions. Most of the archives are also listed on the National Art Library catalogue.

Contemporary archives

• Antoni + Alison, fashion designers: records, c.1976-97.
  AAD/1997/20
• Crafts Council: records, 1960-98.
  AAD/1987/2, AAD/1991/4, AAD/1994/15, AAD/1997/1, AAD/1999/1
• Habitat Ltd , furniture and household goods retailer and manufacturer: marketing records, c.1960-98.
  AAD/1995/12, AAD/1996/5, AAD/2000/13
• Heal & Son Holdings plc., bedding and furniture manufacturer and retailer: records, c.1810-2001.
  AAD/1978/2, AAD/1986/1, AAD/1994/16, AAD/1996/8, AAD/1997/4, AAD/1997/13, AAD/1999/7, AAD/2002/2
• Stewart Home, writer on underground art: papers, 1984-c.1998.
  AAD/1999/5
• Millennium Festival: records, 1999-2001.
  AAD/2001/5

Ephemera

High Street Trawl

High Street Trawl ephemera (1998-2002) was collected twice a year, in June and December, by a small number of Museum staff. The purpose of the trawl was to collect ephemera from everyday life in order to document contemporary graphics, topical issues and 'high street ambience'.

Exhibition Ephemera

Ephemera is collected from public exhibitions and trade shows concerned with design, principally those held at Earl's Court and Olympia, London.

Contact Details

Archive of Art and Design
Tel: +44 (0)20 7603 7493
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