NewsMuseums & Heritage
V&A will not scrap focus on materials in restructuring U-turn
An updated proposal will keep the collection organised around mediums instead of switching to a chronological approach
NewsExhibitions
Egg hunt at the V&A: rare Fabergé treasures from the Queen and Moscow Kremlin Museums included in new show
Russia's Tsar Alexander III began the most expensive Easter tradition in history in 1885 when he began gifting bejewelled eggs to his wife
NewsBritish Museums
The cost of the cuts: what now for UK museums as the Covid-19 crisis bites?
Museum directors in London and the regions are cutting jobs and slashing budgets, raising concerns for the post-pandemic future of the sector
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Victoria and Albert Museum backtracks on plans to cut its National Art Library staff
The announcement was met with public outrage prompting more than 10,000 people to sign a petition against the cuts
NewsVictoria & Albert Museum
V&A to say goodbye to departments by material—woodwork, metalwork etc—and 20% of its curators
Museum's director Tristram Hunt says that government help has not been enough to cover all costs incurred by pandemic and admits “curators will be more stretched”
NewsVictoria & Albert Museum
Immerse yourself in V&A’s new digital platform of 1.2 million objects
Collections website unites technical data, open-access images, videos and even sewing patterns from the museum of art, design and performance
NewsVictoria & Albert Museum
Raphael Cartoons are ready for their close-up on V&A website
High-resolution images of Renaissance treasures go online, revealing the tiniest details of Raphael’s creative process
PreviewThe Year Ahead 2021
The biggest art exhibitions opening around the world in 2021
The new year's must-see shows include Vermeer and Botticelli blockbusters; major Jasper Johns and Yayoi Kusama retrospectives; and sweeping surveys on Iran, slavery and queer art
NewsExhibitions
5,000 years in 350 objects: Victoria and Albert Museum reveals details about its epic 'immersive' Iran show
With ten sections covering ancient Iranian history to contemporary art, London museum plans to open delayed show in February
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Museums and galleries in London to close from Wednesday under new Covid Tier 3 restrictions
But arts professionals heavily criticise the government decision, saying there is “no logic” behind the move
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Victoria and Albert museum to close for two days a week due to coronavirus financial crunch
Visitor numbers will take years to recover with a drastic impact on income, the London institution reports
BlogDiary
V&A acquires Harry Styles’s TikTok-trending multicoloured patchwork cardigan
NewsMuseums
Friends forever? Museums rely on generosity of paying members and loyalty schemes to survive pandemic
Many UK institutions are hoping members will continue to support them despite limited benefits and recurring closures
NewsArts funding
Will UK government furlough extension make museums rethink redundancy plans?
Petition launched calling for Southbank Centre staff to be reinstated in light of Chancellor’s announcement while Royal Academy confirms coronavirus funding snub
NewsMuseums & Heritage
London's Victoria and Albert Museum set to cut at least 103 jobs to 'ensure its survival', director says
Museum says it is in "its worst financial position on record" because of coronavirus
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Discover Raphael’s creative process with new state-of-the-art renovation of V&A's Cartoons Court
New 3D imagery reveals secrets of the Renaissance masterpieces as space reopens in time for 500th anniversary of Old Master's death
BlogDiary
Down the rabbit hole—V&A brings Alice in Wonderland to life in virtual reality sneak preview
NewsBritish Museums
UK museums are back open—but visitors are staying away
Our data shows that most major London art museums had many available booking slots for next-day entry despite operating reduced capacity
NewsMuseums
Museums grapple with ethics of China projects
Institutions including Tate, V&A and Pompidou are forging partnerships with the country despite terrible human rights abuses
NewsMuseums
European museums defend their partnerships in China
As China faces growing criticism over its detention of Uyghers and crackdown in Hong Kong, Tate, V&A and the Pompidou explain why it is important to continue working in the country
CommentMuseums & Heritage
'If a person of African descent wants a career in the arts—well, good luck'
Only by looking backwards can we start to tackle inequality in the arts sector, says Gus Casely-Hayford, the director of V&A East
AnalysisBlack Lives Matter
Reform or reset? How cultural institutions are facing a reckoning over racism
US and UK museums have been accused of tokenism, hypocrisy and fake solidarity for rushing to declare support for Black Lives Matter. Where do they go from here?
AnalysisFunding
UK arts funders unlock crisis grants after coronavirus—but at what cost?
Unrestricted money from public and private sources is helping to keep hard-hit organisations running, but capital projects could suffer
NewsBritish Museums
UK museums put £500m projects on pause during the lockdown but plan to carry on
Enforced delay due to Covid-19 could add to millions of pounds of lost income in the sector
NewsMuseums & Heritage
V&A’s rare Frank Lloyd Wright interior is spruced up after years in storage
One of the museum’s finest period rooms, the Kaufmann Office is being restored for display in new V&A East collection centre
Newscoronavirus
V&A chair had 'Bruegel-like' delirium after contracting Covid-19
Nicholas Coleridge describes “icy legs” symptoms and how doctors undoubtedly saved his life
Newscoronavirus
More than 40 UK museums and conservators donate personal protective equipment to help NHS fight coronavirus
Conservation departments are sending gloves, masks and Tyvek suits to hospitals and ambulance services
CommentMuseums & Heritage
Tristram Hunt: 'When the lights come back on, our museums will need support'
What coronavirus is really forcing us to address is the societal function and justification for public culture in the 21st century, says the Victoria and Albert Museum's director
NewsMuseums
Superman, Beatrix Potter and Virgil Abloh: London’s V&A reveals plans for revamped Museum of Childhood
Museum will reopen in 2022 with new focus on empowering children’s creativity
NewsRaphael
For this week only: unrepeatable chance to see Raphael’s tapestries with Michelangelo’s ceiling
The Vatican Museums celebrate Raphael’s 500th anniversary by hanging his tapestries in the Sistine Chapel for which they were created
NewsVictoria & Albert Museum
V&A dusts off Louis Vuitton trunk of American beauty for handbags exhibition
New conservation brings society hostess Emilie Grigsby's travelling case into limelight after decades in storage
FeatureObituaries
The Getty Museum curator who hired the Rolling Stones for 15 shillings a head
Self-taught Gillian Wilson put together the 20th century’s best collection of French decorative arts
NewsMuseums
Sent packing: V&A mission to empty 250,000 objects from Blythe House is on target
West London storage centre will be empty by late 2022 following move to state-of-the-art collection centre in Olympic Park
ReviewExhibitions
Three exhibitions to see in London this weekend
From Bomberg's love of the Renaissance to Bruce Conner's sexy music video
NewsAccessibility
How to make museums more accessible for disabled people? Ask them
Research groups have designed new technologies and initiatives for the V&A, Kunsthistorisches Museum and Thyssen-Bornemisza
BlogThe Buck stopped here
Nan Goldin brings her empathy and activism to London
NewsSackler family
Nan Goldin brings first PAIN protest to the UK, storming the Victoria and Albert Museum
Demonstrators demand that V&A director Tristram Hunt drops Sackler name
NewsMuseums
Gus Casely-Hayford, director of Smithsonian’s African art museum, to lead V&A East
The British cultural historian will take up his role at the Victoria and Albert Museum’s new branch in the spring
NewsPolitics
'We want the Babylonian Palace of Tiglath-Pileser!': new book reveals Boris Johnson's thwarted vision for new V&A East
Nicholas Coleridge, the chairman of the Victoria and Albert Museum, tells how Boris laid down the law on his plans for the project
NewsClimate Change
V&A director Tristram Hunt defends sponsorship from fossil fuel companies
The former Labour MP sides with Science Museum group's director Ian Blatchford in saying companies such as BP can 'be part of the solution' to climate change
BlogIn the frame
V&A Rapid Response Collecting unit acquires the Tampax menstruation cup
NewsExhibitions
Dior show smashes total attendance record at the V&A—but Alexander McQueen exhibition had more daily visitors
Exhibition of the late French designer had 594,000 visitors overall but was on for seven months
NewsEthics
How ethical can museums afford to be? We ask five major UK art institutions about funding challenges
We find out how mounting public scrutiny of private money could affect the bottom line of London's National Portrait Gallery, the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Gallery and the Tate
ArchiveVictoria & Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum considers long term loans of its paintings
Trustees’ chairman would like to rationalise the collection
ArchiveArt exports
Will the V&A buy this £7 million roundel?
Export license could be extended until November
NewsVictoria & Albert Museum
V&A to mount major Iran exhibition in face of US sanctions
Museum’s director Tristram Hunt says securing loans and sponsorship is “more of a challenge” as tension grows between Trump and Tehran
ArchiveVictoria & Albert Museum
Letters: Does the V&A still believe in education?
The Association of Art Historians on the National Slide Library's proposed move from London to Leicester
BlogIn the frame
Queen's birthday honours: Rachel Whiteread is made a Dame with awards also for Glenn Brown and Ralph Rugoff
CommentObituaries
What Jayne Wrightsman did when you criticised her style
Anna Somers Cocks recalls a telling episode in her relations with the Met’s benefactor, who died on 20 April
NewsAcquisitions
Photography gallery at Victoria and Albert Museum renamed after Elton John following 'significant' donation
The Rocket Man will organise a photography exhibition at the London institution with his husband David Furnish
NewsExhibitions
Portrait of Kevin Spacey going on show at V&A raises questions
The Netflix star, who is facing indecent assault charges in the US, is subject of painting series depicting visiting theatre professors at an Oxford college
CommentConnoisseurship
Another new Leonardo is a reason to be cheerful
The Virgin and Laughing Child was recently re-attributed as the artist's “only surviving sculpture”
AnalysisArt's Most Popular 2019
Art's Most Popular: here are 2018's most visited shows and museums
Fashion continues upward trend in the US, shooting to the top of The Art Newspaper's chart, while the British Museum slips from the top spot in the UK
BlogIn the frame
More of Dior: Designer of Dreams show extended at V&A
NewsExhibitions
Sold out: Dior on track to become V&A’s most successful show ever
“Many people are buying membership just so they can get in,” ticket attendant says
NewsExhibitions
Monty Python snub 'pretentious' Victoria and Albert Museum
Comedy troupe was planning a show at the institution but clashed over the title
FeaturePhotography
Reportage storms the citadel: documentary photography joins the canon of British art
A Don McCullin exhibition at Tate Britain symbolises the shift in photography's significance in British museums
NewsThree to see
Three exhibitions to see in London this weekend
From the dazzling dresses of Dior at the V&A to the grim reality of how architecture can affect your health at the Wellcome Collection
NewsFashion
Princess Margaret’s delicate Dior dress conserved for Victoria and Albert Museum show
Stains on the lavishly decorated gown—made for royal's 21st birthday—show that it had gone to some good parties
CommentVictoria & Albert Museum
Museums must confront the big issues
In an era of deepening nationalism museums' ability to tell stories of hybridity and cosmopolitanism is vital
CommentRestitution
Restitution Report: museum directors respond
The French academics Bénédicte Savoy and Felwine Sarr urge President Macron to return African artefacts. But does the report go too far, or not far enough?
NewsMuseums & Heritage
V&A opens up towering replica of Trajan's column in revamped Cast Courts
New-look galleries invite visitors to explore inside Victorian plaster cast of Roman monument
BlogDiary of an art historian
The public deserves to see restorations laid bare
London's National Gallery and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam are both documenting repairs of major works—plus a personal conservation confession
InterviewMuseums & Heritage
Tristram Hunt unveils plans for V&A East—the Victoria & Albert Museum's satellite London location
Museum will receive the buildings in former Olympic park for free, director says
News
V&A's new photography centre brings history of the medium into view
Controversial transfer of Royal Photographic Society collection from Bradford has led to a growing "culture of research" at the museum
News
Victoria and Albert Museum now a 'multi-site' institution
Opening of outpost in Dundee this week is latest in series of out-of-London projects
InterviewConservation & Preservation
The portrait miniatures conservator who sees the bigger picture
We spoke to the V&A's Alan Derbyshire about Nicholas Hilliard's trick for painting the perfect ruby and why collector's need to look at their miniatures often
News
Dundee’s designs on culture bring V&A to Scotland
The publicly funded £80m institution is the first design museum to open north of the border
PreviewExhibitions
How video games grew up and became a major cultural force
Victoria and Albert Museum show promises an in-depth exploration of gaming design and culture
NewsLeonardo da Vinci
Victoria and Albert Museum brings Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks to life online
New technology allows novices and scholars to zoom in on the artist’s sketches and notes
BlogIn the frame
Miniskirt miracle: Mary Quant call-out nets 35 items for V&A show
NewsThree to see
Three to see: London
Michael Jackson is a thrilling muse at the National Portrait Gallery, while ancient Egypt is given a modern twist at the British Museum
BlogIn the frame
Jameel Prize does the double (two winners scoop the prestigious award at the V&A)
NewsThree to see
Three to see: London
From Christo’s huge floating sculpture in Hyde Park to the intimacy of Frida Kahlo’s wardrobe at the Victoria and Albert Museum
PreviewExhibitions
Step into Frida Kahlo’s ‘secret’ wardrobe
Frida Kahlo's Making Her Self Up opens at Victoria and Albert Museum in June
NewsCultural policy
UK permits Nazi-looted Meissen figure to leave for Japan despite spoliation claim
There appear to be no winners in what the Arts Council refers to as an “extremely unusual” case
CommentLeaders
Displaying the ruins of demolished social housing at the Venice Architecture Biennale is not ‘art-washing’
The V&A acquired a fragment of London's Robin Hood Gardens before it was demolished
BlogIn the frame
Pucker up! Mae West Lips surrealist sofa ends up at the V&A
NewsPhilanthropy
Russian billionaire’s Peri Foundation will keep paying for culture after arrest
It is business as usual, says the organisation’s director, as its founder, Ziyavudin Magomedov, remains in custody awaiting trial on racketeering charges
NewsThree to see
Three to see: London
From a glimpse of the future at the V&A to a Charles II blast from the past at the Queen's Gallery
NewsLooting
Will the British Museum lend Nigeria the Benin bronzes?
Planned museum in Benin City offers safe environment for Western collections, the country says
NewsRestitution
Ethiopia toughens position on Maqdala treasures calling for full restitution
Ethiopian ambassador Hailemichael Afework Aberra told The Art Newspaper podcast his government wants the seized artefacts returned, not given back on long-term loan as proposed by the V&A
Podcast
Podcast episode 28: the battle over Ethiopia's treasures
Martin Bailey speaks to Hailemichael Aberra Afework, Ethiopia’s ambassador to the UK, about the artefacts seized by the British army at Maqdala, go behind the scenes of the Sony World Photography Awards with judge Gareth Harris and ask Richard Parry about his plans for Glasgow International
News
Smithsonian to open first base outside US at former Olympic site in London
US Institution will collaborate with Victoria and Albert Museum at its new outpost in East London
BlogIn the frame
Should UK foreign aid benefit cultural projects overseas? George Osborne squares up to Tristram Hunt
NewsVictoria & Albert Museum
Ethiopia calls on British Museum to return Maqdala treasures on loan like the V&A
Ambassador made request at display opening in South Kensington
NewsLooting
V&A opens dialogue on looted Ethiopian treasures
Director pledges rethink on objects seized by British troops in 19th-century Africa
Comment300
Then & Now: the V&A and Queen Woyzaro Terunesh's wedding dress
The story behind the garment
PreviewExhibitions
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: David Bowie blockbuster gets New York remix
Around one-fifth of the objects in the Brooklyn Museum's show were not included in previous iterations
NewsAttendance
Why visitor numbers at two of London’s major museums have plunged
Fewer blockbusters the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery meant UK audiences stayed away
NewsThree to see
Three to see: London
From the Deutsche Börse photography prize to Rockefeller's collection including Gauguin and Picasso
NewsThree to see
Three to see: London
From cabinets of curiosities at the Whitechapel to confronting trauma at the Barbican
NewsThree to see
Three to see: London
From the glitz and glamour of ocean liners to post-Brexit politics by the official election artist Cornelia Parker
CommentMuseums & Heritage
Pandemic anniversary: the things museums should learn from our plague year
Although “thumbstoppable” social media content is essential, the online world has dark consequences too, says Tristram Hunt, the director of the Victoria and Albert Museum
Tristram Hunt