The Victoria & Albert Museum Acquired David Bowie Archives

The Victoria & Albert Museum Announced Yesterday They Acquired a Complete Set of David Bowie Archives.

Feb 24, 2023By Angela Davic, News, Discoveries, In-depth Reporting, and Analysis
David Bowie
David Bowie

 

The Victoria & Albert Museum announced they acquired a large archive of Bowie’s musical legacy. Overall, this archive includes more than 80,000 items. This complete archive includes materials from letters, to clothes, to his lyrics and instruments. Fans will likely be thrilled to see their music idol‘s personal belongings in a British museum.

 

The Victoria & Albert Museum’s Collection of Great Artists

The Victoria & Albert Museum
A John Robert Rowlands photograph of David Bowie Performing as The Thin White Duke on the Station to Station tour, 1976. © John Robert Rowlands and The David Bowie Archive.

 

The collection ties Bowie’s decades-long career. Also, David Bowie is not the first icon getting a permanent home in Britain. There are also many more faces and artists, such as Major Tom, Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane. David Bowie’s possessions will find their home at the new David Bowie Center for the Study of Performing Arts. It will open in 2025 at the new V&A East Storehouse outpost.

 

Bowie died in 2016 at the age of 69. According to The V&A, the facility will enable admirers and researchers to obtain insights into Bowie’s writing process. Kate Bailey, the museum’s senior curator of theatre and performance, said the archive was an “extraordinary” record of a creator whose “life was art”. She also said that he focused on a number of disciplines in his musical process.

 

Exterior of V&A East Storehouse.
Exterior of V&A East Storehouse. @ Victoria and Albert Museum

 

According to her, he is someone who found inspiration for his texts in a wide range of topics: from literature to art history. Also, the V&A East Storehouse expressed their delight at finally being able to show all sides of him. They also expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work with the V&A to showcase the cultural and musical impact on young people.

Get the latest articles delivered to your inbox

Sign up to our Free Weekly Newsletter

 

$12 Million Donation to Construct this Facility

The Victoria & Albert Museum
The Victoria & Albert Museum

 

The statement stated that the construction of the facility was possible thanks to a donation of 12 million. The Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group are those who donated this substantial amount of money. The V&A director Tristram Hunt personally spoke about this matter. “David Bowie was one of the greatest musicians and performers of all time”, he said. He also said the center is a new sourcebook for the Bowies of tomorrow.

 

Bowie’s pal Swinton, who starred in several of his music videos, added voice to the conversation by praising the V&A’s move as “really excellent news.” He also spoke about the museum’s 2013 exhibition. He said the exhibition is unquestionable proof that Bowie was one of the best artists of all time. The construction of this facility enables the growth of his influence on younger generations, as well.

 

Heroes
Cut up lyrics for “Blackout” from Heroes, 1977 by David Bowie. © The David Bowie
Archive.

 

“I believe everyone will agree with me when I say when I look back at the last 60 years of post-Beatles music, that if only one artist could be in the V&A it should be David Bowie”,  said Nile Rodgers, who produced “Let’s Dance” and other songs. “He didn’t just make art, he was art!”

Author Image

By Angela DavicNews, Discoveries, In-depth Reporting, and AnalysisAngela is a journalism student at the Faculty of Political Science in Belgrade and received a scholarship for continued education in Prague. She completed her internship at the daily newspaper DANAS and worked as an executive editor at Talas.