The V&A Museum has acquired an unprecedented collection from the late David Bowie, much to the delight of fans. The archive contains over eighty thousand items, such as lyrics, photographs, instruments, and stage designs. It will be displayed to the public in 2025 at the newly-created David Bowie Centre for the Study of the Performing Arts in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London.
The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) has acquired a remarkable collection of items from the late David Bowie, one of the best-selling musicians of all time. With over 80,000 letters, lyrics, photographs, stage designs, music awards, and costumes, the archive offers a unique look into the life and legacy of the legendary rock star.
The collection contains a number of Bowie’s instruments, including the Stylophone he played on his 1969 hit single Space Oddity. In addition, there are Ziggy Stardust costumes designed by Freddie Burretti in 1972 and a union jack coat designed by David Bowie and Alexander McQueen for the Earthling album cover in 1997. Additionally, the archive contains Brian Eno’s EMS synthesiser used on David Bowie’s Low and Heroes albums from 1977.
The David Bowie Centre for the Study of Performing Arts will serve as a “reference manual for the Bowies of tomorrow,” according to Dr. Tristram Hunt, director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, who added, “It’s an incredible gift.” It was deemed “fascinating” by senior curator Kate Bailey, who noted that it “traces the entirety of Bowie’s career” and offers “extremely rich and potent personal insights.” She also mentioned that the preservation of the archive had been carried out with “meticulous” care.
The David Bowie Estate and a £10 million donation from the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group made the acquisition possible. Producer and guitarist Nile Rodgers, who worked with Bowie on the 1983 album Let’s Dance, stated, “If only one artist could be in the V&A, it should be David Bowie. He didn’t just make art, he was art!”
In 2025, the David Bowie Centre for the Study of Performing Arts is scheduled to open, providing fans with a unique perspective on the artist and his work. It promises to provide never-before-seen “access behind the scenes” and serve as a source of inspiration and knowledge for future generations.
