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2016-17 ANNUAL REVIEW ANNUAL REVIEW 2016-17 RUNNING HEAD V&A Annual Review 2016–17 2 V&A ANNUAL REVIEW 2016–17 Year at a glance 4 Chairman’s foreword 8 Director’s foreword 10 2016–17 exhibitions and displays 12 Inspiring the next generation 18 A national museum 22 Keeping it live 26 A website for the 21st-century public 28 A year of the Museum 32 Acquisitions 36 Researching together 41 Leading the past into the present 44 In the best light: The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Galleries 50 Around the world 52 David Bowie is… on tour 53 International activities 54 The Grand Entrance, Cromwell Road © James Medcraft Financials 58 Front cover: Elytra Filament Pavilion at the V&A, 2016. Photo: Peter Kelleher © Support 59 Victoria and Albert Museum, London Back cover: Benedetto da Rovezzano, The Wolsey Angels, 1524–1529, bronze. Purchased with the support of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Art Fund, a gift in memory of Melvin R. Seiden, the Friends of the V&A, the Ruddock Foundation for the Arts, the American Friends of the V&A, Demirjian Family, Sam Fogg, Michael and Stark Ward, Mr and Mrs Nicholas Coleridge CBE, Mr Crispin Odey, Miss Grace Patricia Hills, Fortuna Fine Arts, V&A Annual Review 2016–17 is published by Cultureshock Media on behalf of the Victoria and Albert Museum © 2017 Cultureshock Media (cultureshockmedia.co.uk) All images © Victoria and Albert Museum, London, unless otherwise stated While every effort has been made to identify copyright holders, some omissions may occur 5 V&AANNUALREVIEW2016–17 YEAR AT A GLANCE Art Fund Museum of the Year Game Plan: Board Games Rediscovered The V&A was awarded the prestigious Art Fund Museum Game Plan: Board Games of the Year prize in July 2016. Rediscovered at the V&A This was a defining moment in Museum of Childhood the V&A’s history and cements celebrated the joy of its place as one of the greatest playing board games with museums in the world. over 100 iconic objects from the V&A’s collection. Opus Anglicanum Fashion in Motion You Say You Want a Revolution? Friday Lates and Weekend Festivals Opus Anglicanum: Masterpieces of English The V&A was transformed into a The autumn exhibition You Say Medieval Embroidery, support generously The V&A hosted a series of showcase of international fashion with You Want a Revolution? Records provided by The Ruddock Foundation for popular Friday Lates and three major events this year. Leading and Rebels 1966–1970, sponsored the Arts and Hand & Lock, brought some weekend festivals. Highlights in designers Christopher Raeburn and House by Levi’s® with sound experience of the world’s finest examples of medieval 2016–17 included The Revolutions of Holland held live catwalk shows, while by Sennheiser, explored the embroidery to the V&A, marking the first Weekender featuring grime a group of Central Saint Martin’s students cultural impact of the late 1960s time many of these works had been shown artist Skepta and a takeover by inspired by Cristobal Balenciaga took over and proved to be one of the together. This was a once-in-a-generation female collective gal-dem. the ground floor of the V&A. V&A’s most popular exhibitions, opportunity as they will never be seen attracting 243,387 visitors. together again. LGBTQ hub London Design Festival The V&A was proud to be awarded Hub 99,000 people visited the V&A during Status for LGBT History Month. The LGBTQ Reopening The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection the London Design Festival, the eighth V&A Research Institute Tour volunteer guides also won an award at year in a row the Museum has been the The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection celebrates some of the most beautiful 2016 saw the launch of the V&A Research Institute, supported by The Andrew the London Volunteers in Museums Awards central hub of the festival. objects ever made, many in precious materials and many on a small scale. They are W. Mellon Foundation, which will create an innovative arena for developing for their monthly tours. now redisplayed in a newly refurbished gallery that opened in November 2016. collaborative research that is both collections-based and object-focused. 6 7 YEAR AT A GLANCE V&AANNUALREVIEW2016–17 Rapid Response Undressed The V&A’s Rapid Response The Undressed: A Brief History of Collecting, a programme that Underwear exhibition, sponsored acquires objects that advance by Agent Provocateur and design or become newsworthy, Revlon, opened in April 2016. The collected a range of works in Museum acquired 60 pieces of 2016–17. These included a burkini, underwear for the collection the Refugee Nation official flag including pants designed by and an iconic Pussyhat, worn in David Beckham. protest against comments by President Trump during a rally following his election. Learning at the V&A Visitor figures 486,700 children under 16 Wolsey Angels It was a busy year at the V&A attended the V&A South welcoming 3,439,800 visitors to This year saw the V&A's Conservation Kensington and the Museum South Kensington and the V&A Department bring the Wolsey Angels Digital Design Weekend of Childhood. This includes the Museum of Childhood. back to life. They were purchased with the many learning events designed The seventh year of the V&A’s Digital support of the National Heritage Memorial specially for this age group. Design Weekend saw its highest visitor Fund, the Art Fund, a gift in memory of figures to date, with installations, Melvin R Seiden, the Friends of the V&A, workshops and talks from over 40 artists the Ruddock Foundation for the Arts, the and engineers exploring the relationship American Friends of the V&A, and many between design and technology. other generous donors thanks to a major public appeal in 2014. National Loans The V&A lent 1,380 objects to temporary exhibitions at 125 UK venues and 1,485 loans as part of permanent displays supporting more partners in the UK than any other national museum. This includes photographs such as Harold Edgerton’s Girl with skipping rope, 1952 (left) given by the Harold and Esther Edgerton Family Foundation to The Dick Institute, Kilmarnock. Engineering Season New website The Engineering Season, supported by Volkswagen Group, was the first time a The V&A launched its redesigned website, UK museum has dedicated a season to this theme and celebrated creators and attracting 12.6 million visitors for the year. shapers from across the world. 8 9 CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD The V&A entered this past year as Art Fund Museum of the We all feel proud of this relentless activity, of the exhibitions Year, and ended it with the highly successful unveiling of and scholarship of the V&A, and of the many different Amanda Levete’s V&A Exhibition Road Quarter. The Sackler individuals from across the world that make it happen. Courtyard, The Sainsbury Gallery and The Blavatnik Hall I would like to thank the Museum’s Senior Management were officially opened by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge to Team, the keepers, curators and numerous dedicated museum widespread acclaim from architectural critics, The Friends of staff and volunteers. Also the philanthropists and supporters the V&A and the general public. upon whose generosity we so frequently rely as well as our It has been a year of change, hard work and promise. Members for their passionate support of the V&A. Let me Our new Director, Dr Tristram Hunt, is successfully in place, also acknowledge the work and commitment of our Board of and the Museum is undertaking numerous new projects. Trustees, who give so freely of their time and expertise, and In the past year we have seen the V&A re-evaluate the are involved in every area of the Museum’s activities. 1960s in You Say You Want a Revolution? Records and Rebels It was with great sadness that we heard the news that 1966-1970, bring together works of unbelievable detail Dr Martin Roth had died in August 2017. Martin was an and age in Opus Anglicanum: Masterpieces of English inspirational Director of the V&A and his contribution to Medieval Embroidery and hold the first season in a UK the Museum will always be remembered by both those who museum dedicated to engineering, with an exhibition worked with him and the many visitors who were able to celebrating the contribution of Ove Arup, and a specially enjoy his sensibility through the exhibitions, activities and commissioned spectacular robotic sculpture in The John partnerships he so triumphantly staged. Madejski Garden by experimental architect Achim Menges with Moritz Dörstelmann, structural engineer Jan Knippers Nicholas Coleridge CBE and climate engineer Thomas Auer. This variety is just one Chairman, Victoria and Albert Museum of the qualities that typifies the V&A and that led Art Fund Director, Dr Stephen Deuchar, to declare it had “indisputably become one of the best museums in the world”. At the V&A it can feel that we are on a project of perpetual self-improvement, and alongside these exhibitions we strive to showcase human ingenuity across the Museum, and to inspire creativity in all our audiences. It is, therefore, particularly pleasing to see the reopening of The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Galleries following their refurbishment. This collection celebrates some of the most beautiful objects ever made, from gold boxes to painted enamels and mosaics, now on display to our audiences in sparkling form. In another highlight of the past year, the V&A has launched a transformational research initiative that will cultivate new forms of collaboration between experts in curation, conservation and collections, academics and artists.
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