The Victoria & Albert Museum's entire Photography Centre will open in May.

On May 25, 2023, phase two (and final) of the Photography Centre at the Victoria & Albert Museum will open in which the museum’s photographic collection, among the largest and most important in the world, will be celebrated. A permanent collection that includes objects from the beginnings of photography history to the present day, also showcasing pioneering techniques through to contemporary practices. Once open, the Photography Centre will be the largest space in the UK dedicated to a permanent collection of photography, and the seven galleries (three of which were already open in phase one of the Centre in 2018) will give visitors the opportunity to learn about photography in its different aspects. The four new galleries were designed by Purcell and fitted out by Gibson Thornley Architects. The new spaces will include recent acquisitions that will be shown at the museum for the first time.

The Victoria & Albert Museum began collecting photographs in the 1850s. In 2017, the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) Collection was moved to the V&A, greatly expanding the already extensive collection. Today it is a collection of international scope and includes more than one million items related to the history of photography, including photographs, negatives, cameras, technical equipment, books, periodicals, and archival materials. The museum maintains an active program of photograph acquisitions, generously supported by the Photographs Acquisition Group together with artists and other donors.

Inside the Photography Center will feature the exhibition Energy : Sparks from the Collection, which explores the theme ofenergy from 1840 to the present. There will be three rooms devoted to contemporary practices from around the world. Photography and the Book, on the other hand, is a space that visibly preserves the Royal Photographic Society Library alongside temporary exhibitions, and there is also a selection of photographic books to collect and read.

The Center also serves as a rich resource for photographic research. Researchers can visit the Prints & Drawings Study Room or make an online request to contact the curators. Collections research is complemented by the work of the museum’s conservation department, which preserves, investigates and facilitates the exhibition of Victoria & Albert Museum objects. The Curatorial Fellowship in Photography, supported by the Bern Schwartz Family Foundation, facilitates in-depth research into under-recognized aspects of the photographic collection.

The V&A is also committed to supporting artists through a commission program made possible by the generous support of the Manitou Foundation. The first Manitou commissions by Gauri Gill and Jake Elwes will be the focus of the Photography Center’s inaugural exhibitions (2023) and will be on view through 2024. The Photography Centre is made possible by Sir Elton John and David Furnish, The Kusuma Trust, The Bern Schwartz Family Foundation, Ms. Ruth Monicka Parasol and The Parasol Foundation Trust, Meta Media, Shao Zhong Art Foundation and many other generous supporters.

Image: V&A Photography Centre - render of Gallery 97, The Parasol Foundation Gallery © Gibson Thornley Architects

The Victoria & Albert Museum's entire Photography Centre will open in May.

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