Each year we come to an exciting moment in the V&A calendar as we announce to the public the innovative exhibitions, displays and new galleries that will be presented in the year ahead. Within the museum we have many departments working on exhibitions for years in advance, developing concepts, undertaking original research, securing objects and planning experiences for you to enjoy. Our programme for 2019 once again proves why the V&A remains the world’s leading museum in art, design and performance.
Before looking forward, I would like to reflect on the monumental year just past. We have brought a family classic to life with Winnie the Pooh, transferred the glamour of the high seas to our galleries with Ocean Liners, opened a thought-provoking exhibition examining 400 years of fashion history in Fashioned from Nature, predicted the future of the world in The Future Starts Here, seen Frida-mania grip the UK and beyond, and will open our landmark show Videogames: Design/Play/Disrupt in September. Our fascinating programme and stunning collections have drawn over four million visitors in the last year (April 2017 – April 2018), and 2019 looks to be one of our best years yet.
I couldn’t think of a finer way to start the year than with Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams, the largest and most comprehensive exhibition ever staged in the UK on the House of Dior. With over 500 objects and 200 rare haute couture garments, it is the V&A’s biggest fashion exhibition since Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty in 2015.
From haute couture to the Swinging Sixties, we will then open the first exhibition in 50 years to explore the importance and design innovation of style icon Mary Quant. In April of this year we launched an open call for the public to add their own Mary Quant pieces to the exhibition and have already received over 700 responses.
In 2019 we will also tackle two major topics that have defined the modern world – food and cars. Food, opening May 2019, will explores the innovation at every step in today’s food system, from farm to table. From urban farming to gastronomic experiments, this exhibition combines the politics and pleasure of food to ask how the choices we make can lead to a more sustainable, just and delicious food economy. Cars, opening October 2019, will explore the car as the driving force of the 20th century, transforming modern manufacturing, the built environment, travel and lifestyle. The year ends with a show dedicated to the amazing work of photographer Tim Walker, exploring how he conceives and creates idiosyncratic and astonishing imagery, featuring never-before-seen photography inspired by the V&A’s collections.
In 2019 we will continue to strive to create the most spectacular, inspiring and though-provoking content across all our galleries, events and learning activities and look forward to seeing you all again soon.
