Press releases 2008

Buddhist Sculpture

The V&A will open The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Gallery in April, the first gallery for Buddhist sculpture in the UK. The new day-lit gallery will display highlights from the V&A's world class collection of Buddhist sculpture ranging from monumental Chinese temple sculptures to tiny portable gilded Buddhas. On display for the first time will be an early surviving image of the meditating Buddha (c.300 AD) from North West India and a 17th-century gilded figure of the saviouress Tara from Nepal.

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Baroque 1620–1800: Style in the Age of Magnificence

The magnificence and splendour of Baroque, one of the most opulent styles of the 17th and 18th centuries, will be the subject of the V&A's spring exhibition. The exhibition will reflect the complexity and grandeur of the Baroque style, from the Rome of Borromini and Bernini to the magnificence of Louis XIV's Versailles and the lavishness of Baroque theatre and performance.

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Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones

Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones is a collaboration between the V&A and one of the world's foremost hat designers, Stephen Jones. The exhibition will display more than 300 hats chosen with the expert eye of a milliner. On display will be hats ranging from an Egyptian Anubis mask dating from 600BC to a 1950s Balenciaga hat and couture creations by Jones and his contemporaries.

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New Sackler Centre for arts education opens at the V&A

The V&A's new Sackler Centre for arts education gives visitors the opportunity to learn from and work with some of the UK's most talented designers and teachers, develop their own skills and to participate in workshops, talks and debates, festivals, conferences and courses.

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Magnificence of the Tsars

A display of rare and lavishly decorated costumes and uniforms worn by the Tsars and court officials of Imperial Russia, most of which have never been exhibited before either in Russia or abroad, will be shown for the first time at the V&A this winter as part of an exchange between the V&A and the Moscow Kremlin Museums.

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Cold War Modern: Design 1945–1970

The V&A’s autumn exhibition, Cold War Modern: Design 1945-70, is the first to examine contemporary design, architecture, film and popular culture on both sides of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War era. Over 300 exhibits are on display from a Sputnik and an Apollo Mission space suit to films by Stanley Kubrick.

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Fashion V Sport

A new exhibition at the V&A this summer, Fashion V Sport, will explore the relationship between contemporary fashion and global sportswear brands. Both industries have been inspired by street style and have been working in closer collaboration in recent years.

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The Story of The Supremes from the Mary Wilson Collection

The performance costumes of The Supremes, one of the most successful groups of all time, will be on display at the V&A this summer. On show will be over 50 outfits that chart the changing image of the group from their dresses in the early days when they were known as The Primettes to the glamorous Hollywood designs they wore at the height of their fame.

Download The Story of the Supremes from the Mary Wilson Collection press release

Thomas Hope: Regency Designer

A new exhibition at the V&A will show the work and collections of Thomas Hope (1769-1831), one of the most influential designers and patron of the arts in Britain in the early 19th century.

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The William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery opens at the V&A

The V&A will open the new William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery on 24 May 2008. The gallery will display 3,500 jewels from the V&A's jewellery collection, one of the finest and most comprehensive in the world.

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Out of the Ordinary: Spectacular Craft

This winter a joint V&A and Crafts Council exhibition will feature eight artists who place meticulous craftsmanship at the heart of their work. On display will be unusual and beautifully crafted installations. The artists take inspiration from the everyday, transforming their subjects using traditional techniques in unexpected ways.

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China Design Now

The V&A's spring exhibition, China Design Now, will be the first in the UK to explore the recent explosion of new design in China and the first to attempt to understand the impact of rapid economic development on architecture and design in China's major cities.

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Collaborators: UK Design for Performance 2003 - 2007

This display will show a selection of the best British theatre designs of the last four years. From pantomime and drama to opera and dance, in the UK and abroad, this display will bring together the work of over 100 of Britain's most creative theatre designers recognised worldwide for their skills and innovative designs.

Download Collaborators: UK Design for Performance 2003 - 2007 press release

Blood on Paper: The Art of the Book

Blood on Paper: The Art of the Book reveals the astonishing inventiveness with which the book has been treated by some of the most influential and respected artists of our time. Blood on Paper presents a selection of works from Matisse, Miró and Picasso to Anthony Caro and Anish Kapoor and includes a major new work by Anselm Kiefer.

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