There's plenty of exciting exhibitions to look forward to...
Here’s what to book and look forward to over the coming months, with our guide to what’s on at the V&A. Plus: keep your eyes peeled for the all-new Young V&A – designed with and for children, opening in Summer 2023 – set to inspire visitors of all ages to play, imagine and design.
What’s On at the V&A?
Current exhibitions:
- Open now–16 April 2023: Africa Fashion
- Open now–25 June 2023: Hallyu! The Korean Wave
- Open now–27 November 2023: Re:Imagining Musicals
Coming Soon:
- 11 February 2023–11 June 2023: Donatello: Sculpting the Renaissance
- 24 June 2023–7 April 2024: DIVA
- 16 September 2023–25 February 2024: Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto
Africa Fashion
When: Open now–16 April 2023
Africa Fashion takes visitors across the globe through a celebration of ‘the irresistible creativity, ingenuity and unstoppable global impact of contemporary African fashion creatives’. Over 250 objects are on show, spanning from the mid-twentieth century to the modern day, alongside works of art, photographs, textiles and music. Africa Fashion was created following a major public call-out, and so largely highlights new acquisitions that bear witness to African diasporic fashion trends of the day alongside personal testimonies. The exhibition also highlights a new generation of ground-breaking designers, collectives, stylists and fashion photographers working across the continent today.
Image: Installation view of Africa Fashion at the V&A. Photograph by Charlie Colville
Hallyu! The Korean Wave
When: Open now–25 June 2023
The rising popularity of South Korean culture in mainstream media – otherwise known as ‘Hallyu’, or the Korean Wave – has its very own exhibition this year at the V&A. Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Republic of Korea, Hallyu! tracks the global phenomenon from its early beginnings in the late 1990s and rise to worldwide acclaim in the 2010s with K-Pop acts like Psy, BTS and Blackpink to recent successes within cinema, drama, beauty and fashion.
Image: Installation view of Hallyu! The Korean Wave at the V&A. Photograph by Charlie Colville
Re:Imagining Musicals
When: Open now–27 November 2023
Musical lovers are in for a treat with this October, with the arrival of a free-to-enter exhibitions dedicated entirely to some of most iconic shows on the West End. Re:Imagining Musicals highlights the creativity and craftsmanship that has gone into our favourite musicals, spanning the evolution of long-running shows and ground-breaking design of new titles. Expect displays celebrating classics like Miss Saigon and My Fair Lady as well as new favourites like SIX the Musical and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.
Image: Installation view of Re:Imagining Musicals at the V&A (c) Victoria and Albert Museum London
Donatello: Sculpting the Renaissance
When: 11 February 2023–11 June 2023
The first exhibition of its kind in the UK, Donatello: Sculpting the Renaissance will take a deep dive into the life and talent of artist Donatello. One of the pioneers of the early Renaissance, Donatello was renowned for his beautifully crafted sculptures. The exhibition, which will be curated in collaboration with Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi and the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence and the Staatliche Museen in Berlin, will examine the artist’s vision and impact on the history of art, and will feature a number of works that have previously never been on display in the UK.
Image: Donatello, Attis-Amorino, c. 1435–40, partly gilded bronze, 103 × 55 × 45 cm, Florence, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, inv. Bronzes 448. Image courtesy of Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence / By permission of the Ministry of Culture. Photo Bruno Bruchi.
DIVA
When: 24 June 2023–7 April 2024
This celebration of creativity will recognise the work of iconic performers, from today’s global megastars all the way back to the biggest names in Victorian opera. DIVA will explore what it means to be a diva, how this title has been both subverted, embraced and redefined and its evolution through time. Featuring fashion, photography, design, costumes, music and live performance drawn from the V&A collection and loans from across the world, DIVA will surely have you on the edge of your metaphorical seat from start to finish.
Image: Whitney Houston performing at Wembley Arena, London, UK. 5 May 1988. Photo © David Corio
Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto
With the support of CHANEL
When: 16 September 2023–25 February 2024
One of the most iconic designers in the history of fashion, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, will have her first dedicated exhibition in the UK next autumn. Charting the evolution of her design style and brand, Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto will span from 1910 (the year in which she opened her first millinery boutique in Paris) all the way to her final collection in 1971. The exhibition will feature over 180 looks, alongsider jewellery, accessories, cosmetics and perfumes, and map out how Chanel’s vision impacts the way we dress today. A reimagining of the Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto exhibition organised by the Palais Galliera, Fashion Museum of the City of Paris, the exhibition will bring together rarely seen pieces from the V&A’s collection as well as looks from Palais Galliera and the Patrimoine de CHANEL. This is definitely a must-see for fashion fans.
Image: (L-R) Suit by Gabrielle Chanel. Worsted wool crepe, silk satin lining. Paris, 1969. / Suit by Gabrielle Chanel. Wool and printed silk, Paris, 1966. Worn by Lauren Bacall. Given by the Educational Foundation for the Fashion Industries, New York / Coat, by Gabrielle Chanel. Bouclé wool and silk. Paris, 1961. Worn by Anne Gunning. Given by Sir Anthony Nutting in memory of Anne, Lady Nutting © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
A Coco Chanel Exhibition is coming to the V&A — Will it speak to Generation TikTok?
EXPLORE
Visit vam.ac.uk for more information
Featured image: Whitney Houston performing at Wembley Arena, London, UK. 5 May 1988. Photo © David Corio
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