History of the paintings collection
The Paintings collection was an original part of the Museum of Ornamental Art, later re-named the Victoria and Albe…
Read articleHistory of the V&A and the Schools of Design study guide
Recommended resources for investigating the history of the V&A and its collections and the Schools of Design.…
Read articlePainting and drawing in the Archive of Art & Design
The V&A's Archive of Art and Design holds the working papers of individual artists and designers, as well as the re…
Read articleHistory of the Silver Galleries at the V&A
The galleries the Silver collection is now displayed in was the Victoria and Albert Museum’s original Ceramic galleries. These were restored in 1995-6.
The formation of the Ceramics collections
The collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum are, in the fields of post-Medieval European, Middle Eastern and East Asian ceramics, now the most extensive and comprehensive in the world.
A history of photography
Photographs drawn from the V&A’s collection to illustrate a history of photography.
Obituaries of John Conran Irwin
John Irwin (1917–97) helped to transform scholarly understanding of the Indo-European textile trade and of the interchange of design ideas between East and West. He joined the Victoria & Albert Museum as Assistant Keeper of the Indian section at the end of WWII and became Keeper in1959. In 1970 he became head of a new Oriental Department that combined the Indian and Far East collections.

Master drawings, watercolours and prints from the Ionides Bequest
Constantine Alexander Ionides (1833–1900) was an intimate of fashionable artistic circles in London and an enthusiastic and adventurous collector. His bequest to the V&A has long formed one of the cornerstones of the Museum's art collections. The principal oil paintings hang on permanent show, but the master drawings, watercolours and prints do not. These reveal the wider range of Constantine Ionides' tastes and collecting.
Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950
From 19 May 2012 the V&A celebrates the opening of the newly renovated Fashion Galleries with an exhibition of beautiful ballgowns, red carpet evening dresses and catwalk showstoppers.
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The Painted World: From Illumination to Abstraction
A richly illustrated book that seeks to redress the balance by exploring the wider history of painting and includes a broad range of painted works, from stained glass to items of costume.
Buy nowEvent - The Photographic Studio at the V&A Museum, a continuous history from 1856 to the present day
Thu 28 June 2012 13:00

FREE TALK: Learn about the origins of the V&A Photographic Studio and how the collection is archived Discover how new technology in 1856 enabled the Museum to bring the collection to a wide public audience and this spirit has continued to the present day.






















