More than 80,000 items spanning David Bowie's career are to go on show in the UK. The late musician's personal archive will be displayed in London at the David Bowie Centre for the Study of Performing Arts, which is being created at the new V&A East Storehouse in Stratford's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
The collection will feature handwritten lyrics, letters, sheet music, original costumes, fashion, photography, film, music videos, set designs, album artwork and awards. It will also include instruments owned by the star, who died in 2016, as well as writings and unrealised projects never before seen in public.
Highlights include stage costumes such as Bowie’s breakthrough Ziggy Stardust ensembles, designed by Freddie Burretti in 1972, Kansai Yamamoto’s creations for the Aladdin Sane tour in 1973, and the Union Jack coat designed by Bowie and Alexander McQueen for the 1997 Earthling album cover. The archive also includes over 70,000 photographs, prints, negatives, slides and contact sheets taken by some of the 20th century’s leading photographers from Terry O’Neill to Brian Duffy and Helmut Newton.
The archive will go on display to the public for the first time in 2025. This will come 12 years after the launch of a major touring exhibition, David Bowie Is, which opened at the main Victoria & Albert Museum in 2013 and was a sell-out success.
The creation of the centre, and the archive's acquisition by the V&A, was made possible by the David Bowie Estate and a £10million donation from the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group.
Dr Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A, said: “David Bowie was one of the greatest musicians and performers of all time. The V&A is thrilled to become custodians of his incredible archive and to be able to open it up for the public.
“Bowie’s radical innovations across music, theatre, film, fashion, and style – from Berlin to Tokyo to London – continue to influence design and visual culture and inspire creatives from Janelle Monáe to Lady Gaga to Tilda Swinton and Raf Simons. Our new collections centre, V&A East Storehouse, is the ideal place to put Bowie’s work in dialogue with the V&A’s collection spanning 5,000 years of art, design, and performance.
“My deepest thanks go to the David Bowie Estate, Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group for helping make this a reality and for providing a new sourcebook for the Bowies of tomorrow.”
A spokesperson from the David Bowie Estate added: “With David’s life’s work becoming part of the UK’s national collections, he takes his rightful place amongst many other cultural icons and artistic geniuses.
“The David Bowie Centre for the Study of Performance – and the behind-the-scenes access that V&A East Storehouse offers – will mean David’s work can be shared with the public in ways that haven’t been possible before. We’re so pleased to be working closely with the V&A to continue to commemorate David’s enduring cultural influence.”
Max Lousada, chief executive of recorded music at Warner Music Group, said: “As the stewards of David Bowie’s extraordinary music catalogue, we’re delighted to expand our relationship with his estate through this partnership with the V&A.
“This archive promises to be an unparalleled display of individual artistic brilliance, invention, and transformation. Bowie’s influence only grows in stature over time, and this will be an enduring celebration of his profound legacy.”
