Victoria and Albert Museum

Photo of The V&A Museum building, a red brick structure. — Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

The V&A is a quieter experience than the other Kensington museums, and I think my favourite.

It has exhibits relating to art, fashion and design housed in some breathtakingly spacious halls.

You can even see Michelangelo’s David, though alas he is a replica donated by Queen Victoria.

Free - Some paid exhibitions

vam.ac.uk

Exhibitions

Design and Disability

This event looks at how Disabled, Deaf and neurodivergent people have shaped design and culture from the 1940s through to today.

★★★★★ Guardian

£16.00

Until 14 February 2026

Design Activism

Marie Antoinette Style

See how Marie Antoinette’s looks, choices and story shaped clothes, art and film for more than 250 years, keeping her image alive today.

£23.00

Until 21 March 2026

Fashion

Talks

The Enduring Allure of Art Deco Jewellery

A century of Art Deco style is marked with a lively talk on its bold influence on jewellery, from pearls and glasswork to red carpet treasures.

£18.00

6 October 2025 19:00- 20:45

Design

Trade, Trafficking and Translation: Exploring Yemen’s Cultural Heritage with Alia Ali

The talk looks at four Yemeni funerary stelae cared for by the museum, linking Alia Ali’s research to wider stories of loss, trade and shared culture.

Free

8 October 2025 18:30- 20:00

Social History Activism

Creativity and Legacy: The David Bowie Centre

Madeleine Haddon shares stories behind David Bowie’s costumes, sketches and lyrics, showing how they reflect his constant reinvention and creativity.

Free

9 October 2025 13:00- 14:00

Fashion Music

Planning for the Future: How to Make Your Will

A solicitor panel will explain writing a Will, new pension tax rules from 2027, and how legacy gifts can make a difference to the V&A.

Free

10 October 2025 11:30- 12:30

Cartier's Panther

Helen Molesworth and Vivienne Becker share the story of Cartier’s panther jewels, tracing their striking journey through fashion and culture.

£18.00

13 October 2025 19:00- 20:45

Fashion Design

Lunchtime Lectures: Embroidered Cartographies: Needle as Compass

Ekta Kaul explains how embroidered maps have been used to teach, persuade and question power, while showing how she uses stitch to map memory and belonging.

Free

16 October 2025 13:00- 14:00

Modern Art Design

Hollywood History of Art

Christopher Frayling looks at how Hollywood has shown famous painters, from Rembrandt to Frida Kahlo, and what these films reveal about art in popular culture.

£18.00

16 October 2025 19:00- 20:00

Cinema Modern Art

Artist Talk and Demonstration by Ryunosuke Okazaki

Okazaki shares how growing up in Hiroshima shaped his flowing, symmetrical clothes that blend art and peace, with a Q&A and his ‘JOMONJOMON’ series shown.

Free

20 October 2025 13:00- 14:00

Fashion

Provenance Research Seminar: Artistic Responses to Nazi Theft

Two artists share the story of a table linked to a family’s Nazi past, tracing its looted history, meeting the victims’ descendants, and returning it.

Free

22 October 2025 16:00- 17:15

Social History

Lunchtime Lectures: The Extraordinary Art Collection of Lady Charlotte Schreiber

A talk looks at Lady Charlotte Schreiber’s life, from her travels for rare ceramics to her gift of thousands of objects to two major museums.

Free

23 October 2025 13:00- 14:00

Classical Art Feminism

British Blonde: Women, Desire and the Image in Post-War Britain

Lynda Nead discusses how post-war ideas about class and desire shaped images of women by looking at Diana Dors, Ruth Ellis, Barbara Windsor and Pauline Boty.

£18.00

23 October 2025 19:00- 20:45

Feminism Social History

Dimensions: Contemporary Chinese Studio Crafts

Curator Dr Xiaoxin Li shares the story of a four-year project on Chinese studio crafts, from travels to artists’ studios to unseen stories of their work.

Free

30 October 2025 12:00- 13:15

Modern Art Design

Kiki McDonough: A Life of Colour

Kiki McDonough talks with Ranvir Singh about her journey in fine jewellery, from her first crystal earrings to her bold use of colourful gemstones.

£18.00

30 October 2025 18:00- 19:45

Fashion Feminism

Cartier: A Royal Following

Hear stories of Europe’s royals, India’s Maharajahs and early fashion icons, while learning how Cartier transformed jewellery design for a new age.

£18.00

3 November 2025 18:00- 19:45

Fashion

Kim Appleby: A Life in Music, Movement & Fashion

Kim Appleby shares memories of her music career, her and Mel’s bold style choices, and recalls working with Isabella Blow on their unique look.

£18.00

6 November 2025 18:00- 19:45

Fashion Music

The Treasures of Burghley House

An illustrated talk looks at Burghley’s grand Elizabethan past, its interiors, family stories, changes over 400 years, and life in the house today.

£18.00

10 November 2025 18:00- 19:45

Architecture

Erdem Moralioglu in Conversation with Tim Blanks

Erdem Moralioglu chats with Tim Blanks about his new book, sharing 20 years of fashion, key inspirations and striking images from his career.

£22.00

13 November 2025 18:00- 19:45

Fashion

Ornamental Blackness: The Black Figure in European Decorative Arts

Adrienne L. Childs talks about decorative objects that used the ‘blackamoor’ motif, showing how these works shaped ideas of identity, power and style.

£15.00

14 November 2025 17:30- 20:00

Classical Art

The Nineties x Anna Sui

Anna Sui looks back at her famous ’90s style, from slip dresses and grunge baby-dolls to the music, film and art that shaped her designs.

£20.00

17 November 2025 18:00- 19:45

Fashion

Kraszna-Krausz Photography Book Award Symposium 2025

Mahmoud Khattab and Linda Bournane Engelberth will talk about their award recognised books, with Charlotte Flint, before joining a panel chat together.

Free

19 November 2025 16:00- 18:30

Photography