It's the world's leading museum of art, design and performance, so it's no wonder you want to find out what's on at the V&A in 2024.
The exhibitions at the V&A museum in South Kensington are always blockbuster, and the institution offers some of the most eclectic range of subjects under one roof in the whole of London.
While this year sees a somewhat slimmed-down exhibition programme compared to recent times — only three big ticketed shows are opening — there’s still a varied choice of topics, from architecture to photography. And this year sees quite a lot of celebrity sparkle thrown in too.
Here's what's on right now, and what you've got to look forward to.
V&A exhibitions on now
Thomas J Price at the V&A
— Open until 27 May 2024
Leading sculptor Thomas J Price is celebrated for his arresting yet contemplative sculptures depicting everyday individuals. His display here — which is completely free to visit — sees these ideas in dialogue with objects from the V&A’s historic collection.
In total, eight works by Price are installed throughout the museum. Visitors can see large-scale sculptures which depict amalgamated ‘ordinary’ people. They represent different individuals he has encountered in the streets of London, and are described as a celebration of connection and shared humanity.
Highlights include Signals, placed in Room 25 of the sculpture galleries next to Vincenzo Foggini’s Samson and the Philistines and depicting a young man holding his phone up to the sky, searching for mobile signal. Plus Lay It Down (On the Edge of Beauty) is a larger-than-life sculptor of the head of a woman made of a polished bronze that shines like gold.
— Open until 22 September 2024
Tropical Modernism is a style of architecture that blends modern design with practical solutions for tropical climates. It developed in the 1940s, and it was shaped by visionary architects who prioritised both functionality and aesthetics in their work. Think buildings with natural ventilation and cooling, substantial shading, and the odd water feature.
This style is currently under the spotlight at the V&A throughout the spring and summer, and has a specific focus on the colonial origins of Tropical Modernism in British West Africa (including modern-day Ghana, Nigeria and others), and in India. It also charts the survival of the style in the post-colonial period in newly-independent countries, and how it came to symbolise the independence and progressiveness of these nations after severing UK rule.
Upcoming V&A exhibitions in 2024
— Opens 18 May 2024
Not only will this be the V&A’s largest temporary exhibition of photography ever held to date, it will also have some superstar sparkle thrown in — all of the works on show belong to Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish.
There’ll be 300 rare prints from a mammoth 140 photographers on show, and they are all on loan from the couple’s private collection. It will bring together an unrivalled selection of the world’s leading photographers to tell the story of photography in the modern era.
Works by icons of the medium including Robert Mapplethorpe, Cindy Sherman, William Eggleston, Diane Arbus, Sally Mann, Zanele Muholi, Ai Weiwei, Carrie Mae Weems and many, many more will be seen, as well as portraits of other stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Miles Davis, and Chet Baker.
It’ll play out across eight thematic sections at the London museum, including as 'fashion', 'reportage', 'celebrity', 'the male body', and 'American photography'.
NAOMI: In Fashion
— Opens 22 June 2024
Undoubtedly this is the most hotly anticipated exhibition of all at the V&A this year. It's a big blockbuster that will examine the whole 40 year career of the world’s most famous supermodel, starting from the very beginning when she was scouted in Covent Garden aged just 15.
The museum says that this display of Naomi Campbell’s story will be “revelatory” and will “celebrate her career.” This ultimate fashion exhibition has been created in collaboration with Campbell herself and we are promised a gallery full of show stopping clothes.
One highlight will definitely be the pair of staggeringly high Vivienne Westwood platform shoes worn by Campbell in 1993 when she suffered a tumble on the catwalk, a moment that went on to be one of fashion's biggest bloopers. Other highlights include a dramatic 1989 Thierry Mugler car-inspired corset, Campbell’s silver bugle-beaded gown from Sarah Burton’s very final Alexander McQueen catwalk show at Paris Fashion week in 2023
In total visitors are promised over 100 ‘looks’ that Campbell has modeled over four decades, including designs by Alexander McQueen, Azzedine Alaïa, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Gianni and Donatella Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld, Kenneth Ize, Valentino, Virgil Abloh, Vivienne Westwood, Yves Saint Laurent and many others.
Tickets are on sale now, so you’ll want to snap them up quick as this one is going to be super(model) popular.
— Get the latest exhibition news delivered to your inbox by subscribing to our free newsletter