V&A East Storehouse

 

Garuda, winged figure, carved wood, lacquer, gilt, painted, Tibet, pre 17th century. Purchased from J.C. Stevens.
IM.24-1910
© Victoria & Albert Museum

 
 

V&A East Storehouse

 

A world first in size and scale, V&A East Storehouse immerses you in over half a million works from every creative discipline.

What is V&A East Storehouse?

Spanning four levels, and bigger than 30 basketball courts, V&A East Storehouse is a new purpose-built public space designed by world-renowned architects Diller Scofidio+Renfro with support from UK-based architects Austin-Smith:Lord. Taking over a section of the former London 2012 Olympics Media Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park the warehouse-type space is designed to give unprecedented access to the V&A.

As well as providing a purpose-built home for over 250,000 objects, 350,000 library books and 1,000 archives from the V&A’s collections, Storehouse is a new kind of museum experience. It gives you a chance to see behind the scenes of a working museum, explore why and how objects get collected by museums, find out how they are cared for, and uncover the stories they tell about us and our world.

The central Weston Collections Hall stretches across three levels, with over 100 mini curated displays literally ‘hacked’ into the sides and ends of storage racking for you to explore. You can zoom in on east London’s rich heritage of artistry, activism and resistance, explore the V&A’s newest acquisitions by transgender and non-binary artists and get an insight into cutting-edge scientific research from conserving fragile plastics to protecting cultural heritage.

Large objects and tiny things

Because the V&A’s collections span 5000 years of human creativity, the team at Storehouse cares for everything from the pins used to secure a 17th century ruff to a two-story section of a maisonette flat from the Robin Hood Gardens housing estate, demolished in 2017.

The sheer scale of Storehouse means it is now possible to see other huge artifacts, including The Kaufmann Office (the only complete Frank Lloyd Wright interior outside of the US) and the spectacular 15th-century gilded wooden ceiling from the now-lost Torrijos Palace in Toledo, Spain.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

V&A East Storehouse Preview

 

Robe, tapestry-weave silk (kesi) with gold thread, China, about 1600. Purchased with a grant donated by Lady Garner. FE.41:1,2-1985.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Carpet, knotted pile in colored wools on linen warps, China, before 1910. Purchased from S. M. Franck & Co. (25 Camomile Street, EC.), accessioned in 1910. T.56-1910.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Cassone of walnut and rosewood, inlaid with ivory, Italy or Spain, ca. 1500.
7223-1860.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Textile of ikat woven cotton, Lampong, South Sumatra, Indonesia, ca. 1900. IS.21-1960.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Middle East, Textile, Fragment. Polychrome lampas, silk with gold thread, known as 'cloth of gold', with horizontal bands and Arabic inscription, Ilkhanid Iran or Mongol Central Asia, 1250-1350. 783-1875.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Carpet of knotted cut pile in wools and cotton, China, ca. 1800. Purchased from S. M. Franck & Co. (25 Camomile Street, EC.), accessioned in 1909. T.103-1909
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Lakshmana; Sculpture, copper alloy, South India, 1800-1850. Transferred from the India Museum in London to the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A) in 1879. 562(IS).
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Coverlet of silk velvet with embroidery in floss silk and gilt-paper-wrapped silk thread, with silk cord, probably made in Guangzhou (Canton) in China for the European market, Ming dynasty, about 1600. T.36-1911.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Figure of Amitayus, cast and gilded copper with red lacquer and jewelled ornaments, China, 1650-1700. Bequeathed by Edward Louis Cappel, CIE. M.436-1936.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Standing Vishnu, copper alloy, Coimbatore, south India, 10th-11th century. Bequeathed by Lord Curzon of Kedleston. IM.128-1927.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Shoulder cloth of ikat woven cotton, East Sumba, Indonesia, ca. 1900. IS.32-1960.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Standing figure of Parvati, bronze, Tamil Nadu, 13th century. Bequeathed by Lord Ampthill.
IM.70-1935
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Carpet known as the 'Mounsey Carpet', wool knotted pile on wool foundation, geometric design of central medallion on red ground with border of cartouches on blue ground, Mamluk Cairo, Egypt, 1475-1500. Purchased from Sir George Mounsey via Sotheby's London in 1944. T.26-1943.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Carpet of knotted pile in wools on cotton warps, China, 18th-19th century. Purchased from E. Bischoff (19 Mortimer Street, W.), accessioned in 1909. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. T.101-1909.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Karaikkal-Ammaiyar, copper alloy, Tanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, south India, 13th century. Purchased in 1923 from Mrs L S Bradley, it formed part of the collection of Herbert Bradley, CSI, Barr, ICS, Member of the Legislative Council of Madras. IM.118-1924.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Seated figure of Fudo, a manifestation of Buddha whose purpose is the combatting of evil, carved and painted wood, Japan, ca. 1400-1600. Gift of Lieutenant-Colonel Kenneth Dingwall D.S.O. through Art Fund. A.91-1927.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Rank badge, tapestry weave silk and metal-wrapped thread with a design of birds and lotus, China, Ming dynasty, 16th century. Purchased. Registered File number 1985/1393.
FE.11-1986
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Bronze elephant-Lion Yali from Travancore or Tanjore, South India. Given by Mr E. Heron-Allen. IM.66-1911.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Batik-printed cotton, The Netherlands, early 20th century.
IS.62-1985
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Carpet, close pile, Yarkand, China, 19th century. IS.1466-1883.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Spear-head, steel, finely watered blade with chiselled and wrought ornament above the kang enriched with overlay in gold, Java, Indonesia, 17th century. Given by Charles W. Low, Esq. M.D., Stowmarket, Suffolk. IM.13-1910.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

The blade has inscriptions in gold overlay including invocations to the angels and the Prophet, and names of former owners; the guard of cast silver with ivory grip. Turkey, the blade dated 1025 AH / 1616 AD, the hilt early 19th century. M.31-1965.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

A bronze image of Rama with his bow made for worship, copper alloy, Madurai, south India, 17th century.
IM.71-1927
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Standstone figure of the boar goddess Varahi. Purchased from Monica Gunter, beneficiary of the estate of her father Alex Biancardi. IS.144-1999.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

Middle East, Textile, Carpet; Front panel for chuval (nomadic storage bag), wool knotted pile with silk details on wool foundation, geometric design of three octagons (or guls), on red ground, Turkoman Salor, possibly Turkmenistan, Central Asia, 1800-1850. 2324-1876.
© Victoria & Albert Museum

 
News 15Editorial TeamArt of the Ancestors, Steven G. Alpert, Asian Art, Island Southeast Asian Art, Oceanic Art, Asiatica, Ethnographica, Ethnographic Art, Art Collection, Fine Art, Primitive Art, Indonesian Art, Tribal Art, Eyes of the Ancestors, Dr. Reimar Schefold