The museum based in Kensington will open its doors to the public for the first time since lockdown in August.
Initially opening Thursday to Sunday each week, the V&A will reopen in steady phases. From the 6th August, visitors will be able to wonder around the ground floor collection galleries including the iconic Medieval & Renaissance Gallery, the monumental Cast Courts, the stunning artefacts of The Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art and the much-loved Fashion Gallery, as well as the Europe 1600–1815 galleries on lower ground floor.
Following on from this and coinciding with the August Bank Holiday, the first and second floor collection galleries will reopen on 27 August, including the ever-popular The William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery, Theatre & Performance Galleries, and the Photography Centre as well as our Paintings, Tapestries and Silver Galleries.
Meanwhile, the exhibition Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk, which closed just two weeks into its run, has now been extended and will reopen on 27th August – 25th October alongside the museum’s Filthy Lucre installation.
Director of the V&A, Tristram Hunt said “The V&A’s galleries flourish in dialogue with visitors, and after so many months, I am delighted we will be reopening our doors to the world. Our seven miles of galleries in South Kensington will open in phases, and we have a range of exciting exhibition and gallery openings to come in the next few months. The V&A has ample space for social distancing, and all safety measures are in place for our
visitors to enjoy 5000 years of ingenuity in art, design and performance. Reopening is only the first phase to our recovery, which is set to last well into next year, and we remain hugely grateful to all our visitors, members and supporters – now more than ever.”
A number of measures will be in place across the V&A to ensure that the museum is a safe, relaxing and inspiring place for visitors, staff and volunteers. Free timed tickets will be introduced to ensure that visitors can freely explore and discover the wonders of the V&A’s collection within a socially distanced environment.
Meanwhile, the museums future exhibition programme is as follows:
Bags: Inside Out – 21st November 2020 – 12th September 2021
Epic Iran – 13th February – 30th August 2021
Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser – 27th March – 31st December 2021
Timed tickets to see the museum’s permanent collection and Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk are now available from the V&A website. Tickets for Bags: Inside Out will launch in August, and Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser and Epic Iran will launch in later 2020.
For more information about the museum’s opening hours and safety measures please visit: https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/plan-your-visit