Enfilade

Gallery 54 of Museo Nacional del Prado with José Álvarez Cubero’s marble sculpture of Queen María Isabel de Braganza.

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From the press release:

The Museo Nacional del Prado has opened a new gallery that brings long-overdue attention to one of the most decisive yet often overlooked figures in its history: Queen María Isabel de Braganza. Gallery 54, inaugurated on 11 December 2025, is dedicated to the queen consort of Spain whose vision, influence, and personal commitment were instrumental in the creation of what would become one of the world’s great art museums.

María Isabel de Braganza (1797–1818), second wife of King Ferdinand VII, was deeply engaged with the arts at a time when royal patronage was crucial to cultural development. An honorary member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando and an amateur painter herself, she championed the transformation of Juan de Villanueva’s unfinished building on the Paseo del Prado into the Royal Museum of Paintings and Sculptures. Although she died prematurely at the age of 21 and never saw the museum open in 1819, historical records—including funerary eulogies and a key annotation by Pedro de Madrazo in the museum’s 1854 catalogue—confirm her central role in the Prado’s foundation.

Vicente López Portaña, Queen María Isabel de Braganza, ca. 1816, oil on canvas (Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado).

The newly inaugurated gallery presents a focused yet powerful tribute. At its core are two historic portraits that trace the construction of the queen’s image between tradition and modernity. The first, painted around 1816 by Vicente López Portaña shortly before her marriage, follows the Empire-style portrait conventions popularized by Joséphine Bonaparte: a bust-length composition, rich red dress, and pearl necklace. This image became the definitive likeness of the queen and later served as the model for Bernardo López’s depiction of her as the founding queen of the Prado.

The second work, a posthumous marble sculpture by José Álvarez Cubero completed between 1826 and 1827, presents Maria Isabel as a Roman matron. Drawing on classical models such as Agrippina and filtered through Neoclassical aesthetics associated with artists like Canova, the sculpture transforms the queen into a timeless symbol of civic virtue and cultural legacy.

Together, these works form the basis of a museographic narrative that positions María Isabel de Braganza not merely as a historical figure, but as a founder and patron whose personal wealth and determination helped shape the Prado’s identity. By dedicating Gallery 54 to her memory, the museum reinforces its commitment to telling its own institutional history—and to recognizing the individuals who made its existence possible. This new space invites visitors to reflect not only on the origins of the Prado, but also on the power of cultural vision, even when cut tragically short.

From the press release (5 November 2025) . . .

The Clark Art Institute, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, announced today that Lara Yeager-Crasselt has been appointed to serve as the first Aso O. Tavitian Curator of Early Modern European Painting and Sculpture.

Dr. Yeager-Crasselt is currently the Curator and Department Head of European Painting and Sculpture at the Baltimore Museum of Art, where she oversees the museum’s collection of fifteenth- through eighteenth-century painting and sculpture, including its research, exhibition, loans, acquisitions, and publication. Prior to her current role, she held prestigious curatorial and research positions at The Leiden Collection in New York and at KU Leuven, Belgium, among others. From 2015 until 2017, Yeager-Crasselt served as the Clark’s Interim Curator of Painting and Sculpture.

“We are delighted to welcome Lara Yeager-Crasselt back to the Clark and we feel incredibly fortunate to be able to entrust the Aso O. Tavitian Collection to her stewardship,” said Olivier Meslay, Hardymon Director of the Clark. “She is an ideal person to manage this collection, and we feel confident that Lara will play a major role in shaping the many ways in which we share these remarkable works of art with our visitors in the years ahead.”

Yeager-Crasselt’s curatorial experience includes a rich array of international exhibitions including Watershed: Transforming the Landscape in Early Modern Dutch Art (Baltimore Museum of Art); Exchanging Words: Women and Letters in Seventeenth-Century Dutch Genre Painting (Timken Museum of Art, San Diego); Rembrandt, Vermeer, and the Dutch Golden Age: Masterpieces of The Leiden Collection and the Musée du Louvre (Louvre Abu Dhabi); The Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer: Masterpieces of The Leiden Collection (Pushkin Museum, Moscow and The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia), and Splendor, Myth, and Vision: Nudes from the Prado at the Clark.

“Lara is an exceptional scholar and curator and is well-regarded for her expertise in early modern painting and sculpture,” said Esther Bell, the Clark’s Deputy Director and Robert and Martha Berman Lipp Chief Curator. “Her deep knowledge and curatorial acumen will be a phenomenal addition to our team and will be so important to her research on the Tavitian Collection. Lara will also work with the Clark’s full collection of fifteenth- through eighteenth-century paintings and sculpture, and I know that her prior experience with our existing collection will be particularly important as she integrates this transformative gift and develops the plan for its installation in the new Aso O. Tavitian Wing. I look forward to collaborating with Lara on our summer 2026 exhibition An Exquisite Eye: Introducing the Tavitian Collection, which will provide the first opportunity for our visitors to see some of the magnificent treasures in the Tavitian Collection.”

An Exquisite Eye opens on 13 June 2026 and will showcase works by many of the most acclaimed artists of the early modern era—Jan van Eyck, Andrea della Robbia, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Peter Paul Rubens, Jean-Antoine Watteau, and Jacques Louis David, among others. The exhibition will remain on view at the Clark through 21 February 2027.

The Aso O. Tavitian Collection was gifted to the Clark in 2024 from the foundation of the late collector, philanthropist, and connoisseur, Aso O. Tavitian. Between 2004 and 2020, Mr. Tavitian assembled the most significant private collection of European art assembled in North America in the twenty-first century. Representing one of the largest gifts in the Clark’s history, the Tavitian gift includes 331 works of art from Mr. Tavitian’s personal collection and more than $45 million to endow two new positions on the Clark’s curatorial staff to oversee the collection; provide necessary support for its long-term care; and fund construction of the Aso O. Tavitian Wing at the Clark, which is slated to open in 2028. The gift of art includes 132 paintings, 130 sculptures, thirty-nine drawings, and thirty decorative arts objects, creating an important addition to the Clark’s holdings and more than doubling the size of its sculpture collection.

“It is a tremendous honor to represent Aso O. Tavitian’s collection and his legacy at the Clark, as well as a great privilege and joy to be able to care for these extraordinary objects in my new role,” Yeager-Crasselt said. “I am truly thrilled to be returning to the Clark after these many years, and eager to join the team there in realizing the new Tavitian Wing and the first presentation of the collection this summer.”

In addition to her curatorial activity, Yeager-Crasselt has published widely on the art of the Netherlands, particularly its cross-cultural and artistic exchange with Italy, among which are studies on Michael Sweerts and François Duquesnoy. She is also a dedicated teacher, having taught art history to students at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore; Vassar College; George Washington University, Washington, D.C., the University of Maryland, College Park; and The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. She holds a PhD in Art History from the University of Maryland and a bachelor of arts degree in History from Vassar College.

Yeager-Crasselt will begin work at the Clark in December 2025 and will immediately join the Institute’s cross-departmental team planning the construction of the Tavitian Wing. Designed by Selldorf Architects, New York City, the building project will get underway in early 2027 and will provide a permanent home for the Tavitian Collection.

From the press release:

The Board of Trustees of the Philadelphia Art Museum announced the appointment of Daniel H. Weiss as the George D. Widener Director and CEO, effective 1 December 2025. Weiss, an accomplished museum executive with extensive leadership experience at major educational and cultural institutions, will guide the art museum through at least 2028, providing stability for staff, stakeholders, and the community.

“We are extraordinarily fortunate to have someone of Dan Weiss’s caliber and experience step into this critical role,” said Ellen Caplan, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “Dan’s proven track record of museum leadership, his deep understanding of the field, and his ability to navigate complex institutional challenges make him ideally suited to provide stability and strategic direction during this critical period for the art museum.”

Weiss brings decades of distinguished service in museum and educational leadership. Most recently, he served as President and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art from 2015 to 2023, where he oversaw one of the world’s largest and most respected art museums. Prior to The Met, he served as President of Haverford College (2013–15) and of Lafayette College (2005–13). Weiss has spent the past two years as a Homewood Professor of the Humanities and Senior Advisor to the Provost for the Arts at Johns Hopkins University, where he received his PhD and served as chair of the Art History department and Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences earlier in his career.

“The Philadelphia Art Museum is one of America’s great cultural treasures, with an extraordinary collection, a dedicated staff, and deep connections to its community,” said Weiss. “It is a privilege and an honor to serve during this important moment, and I look forward to working with the Board, staff, and stakeholders to ensure the art museum continues its vital mission and advances its strategic priorities.”

During Weiss’s tenure at The Met, he led the institution through significant operational improvements, including addressing financial challenges, enhancing visitor experience, and strengthening the museum’s organizational effectiveness and building its infrastructure. Under his leadership, The Met completed a comprehensive facilities master plan, expanded its digital initiatives, and deepened community engagement.

As Director and CEO of the Philadelphia Art Museum, Weiss will oversee all aspects of the art museum’s operations, including curatorial programming, education initiatives, collection stewardship, fundraising, and strategic planning. He will work closely with the Board of Trustees and senior leadership team to maintain institutional momentum.

The Philadelphia Art Museum ranks among the largest art museums in the United States, with a collection of more than 240,000 objects spanning 2,000 years. The art museum serves approximately 700,000 visitors annually and plays a vital role in Philadelphia’s cultural and civic life.

Weiss holds a PhD in western medieval and Byzantine art from Johns Hopkins University, an MBA from Yale University, and a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University. The author of numerous books, Weiss has published extensively on medieval art, higher education, museums, and American culture. An elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he serves on numerous cultural and civic boards and is widely recognized as one of the museum field’s most respected leaders.

As someone who collected coins as a kid, who has lived proudly in the Midwest for three decades, and who really cares about antiquarian traditions, I’m so excited about this news from the American Numismatic Society! –CH

Dan Barry wrote about the move for The New York Times. From the press release (via Coin Week) . . .

Tolford and Lange, Professional Arts Building, 1939. Located on the campus of the Toledo Museum of Art, the Art Deco building will be home to the American Numismatic Society, starting in 2028.

The American Numismatic Society—a nearly 170-year-old organization dedicated to the public appreciation and research of coins, currency, and medals and holding the most comprehensive collection of numismatic objects in the United States—today announced its strategic relocation from its current leased location at 75 Varick Street in New York City to Toledo, Ohio, where it will take up residence on the campus of the Toledo Museum of Art. This major relocation, taking place in the first half of 2028, will enable the ANS to better serve its American and international audiences while developing a strong relationship with the local community in the former major industrial city now undergoing a cultural revival.

“The American Numismatic Society’s move to Toledo marks a transformative new chapter in our long history,” says Dr. Ute Wartenberg Kagan, Sydney F. Martin Executive Director, The American Numismatic Society. “Partnering with the renowned Toledo Museum of Art, we will create innovative museum displays that highlight our remarkable collection of coins and medals. We are eager to reach new audiences and develop an affordable, state-of-the-art museum space that supports our mission of research, education, and public engagement. We also anticipate strengthening our academic partnerships with local universities, making Toledo a vibrant hub for numismatic study and research.”

Founded in 1858 by a group of passionate collectors in New York City, the ANS has grown from modest beginnings as a coin club into a prominent museum and research institution. Its extensive collection—ranking among the top four of its kind worldwide—includes nearly 800,000 coins, monetary objects, art medals, military orders, and decorations, which collectively serve as a gateway to history, providing profound insight into the cultural, economic, political, and art of societies around the world and across the centuries. Home to the best numismatic library anywhere, the ANS is also a major publisher of books on coins and medals, while leading the way in the digital transformation of numismatics by developing open-access online tools and databases that connect coins and currency globally to broader historical and humanities research.

A four-story Art Deco building adjacent to and acquired from TMA will serve as the ANS’s new home, where a dedicated museum hall and flexible gallery spaces will enable the organization to host world-class exhibitions and to showcase a wider array of its extraordinary treasures, many of which have never been publicly displayed. Offering more space to properly care for, study, and display its ever-growing collections—of which more than 100,000 numismatic objects were added in the past twenty years alone, including the extensive archives of the Medallic Art Company acquired in 2017—the ANS’s Toledo building will house a library, an auditorium, and an education center. Together these vastly expanded resources will serve to cement the organization’s position as a leading research center, while reaching a wider audience. As numismatics is one of the largest fields of collecting interest, with approximately 150 million enthusiasts in the U.S. alone, the ANS will become an unmatched destination not just for local audiences and the 300,000-plus visitors TMA welcomes to its campus each year, but also for international travelers, with the Detroit Metro Airport less than an hour away.

Through a new institutional partnership, objects from the ANS collection will be integrated into several of TMA’s permanent collection galleries, which are currently undergoing a major chronological reinstallation to be unveiled in late 2027. TMA’s permanent collection exhibits will be conceptually and materially enhanced by these additions from the ANS, providing unique insight into and a direct connection with each historical era since coins represent tangible, everyday reflections of events, social norms, and economic behaviors.

“We could not be more excited as a Museum or as a community to welcome the American Numismatic Society to the city as our neighbor,” comments Adam Levine, TMA’s Edward Drummond and Florence Scott Libbey President, Director and CEO. “TMA’s collection spans human history but is distinguished by a commitment to presenting works of only outstanding quality, which makes ANS the perfect partner to enrich our collection displays with the integration of numismatic items while enhancing both the art historical experience for all visitors to our shared campus and research opportunities for scholars.”

In addition to this close partnership with TMA, the ANS intends to partner with other local organizations and venues, furthering the organization’s ability to mount interdisciplinary exhibitions, conduct new research, and host events that the current facilities in New York City cannot support, such as major academic conferences and hands-on programs that demonstrate how money functions and help attendees develop practical financial skills for everyday life.

Kit Maxwell is the new Chair and Eloise W. Martin Curator of Applied Arts of Europe at the Art Institute of Chicago.

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From the AIC press release (13 October 2025) . . .

The Art Institute of Chicago is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Christopher (Kit) Maxwell to the position of Chair and Eloise W. Martin Curator of Applied Arts of Europe. In his role, Kit will lead the Applied Arts of Europe Department through continued gallery enhancements, strategic acquisitions, and dynamic gallery rotations. He has taken on this role upon Ellenor Alcorn’s retirement from the position.

Kit joined the museum in 2022 as the Samuel and M. Patricia Grober Curator of the department. He brought expertise in European ceramics and glass with a special interest in the impacts of global trade and colonial expansion on the development of European design. Through his work, Kit has contributed to the growth and development of the Applied Arts of Europe department, expanding the stories we tell through acquisitions and collection research.

“In just a few years, Kit has had a significant impact on the museum and the department,” said James Rondeau, President and Eloise W. Martin Director at the Art Institute of Chicago. “His work and collaboration played an essential role in the spectacular redesign of the recently opened Eloise W. Martin Galleries. We look forward to how his vision, expertise, and dedication will continue to build on the momentum of the department.”

The new Applied Arts of Europe galleries opened in July after a multi-year redesign project. The galleries present more than 300 objects from the Art Institute’s outstanding collection of furniture, silver, ceramics, and glass made between 1600 and 1900 and feature a new design vocabulary with cutting-edge casework and lighting. Working closely with Ellenor Alcorn, renowned Barcelona-based architectural firm Barozzi Veiga, and other colleagues, Kit co-curated this elegant installation to showcase the creativity and innovation that defined European design during an era of extraordinary transformation.

“I feel honored to have had the opportunity to work with Ellenor during her time at the museum and benefitted enormously from her incredible experience and generous collegiality,” said Kit Maxwell. “This department has so much to offer visitors—from the Thorne Miniature Rooms to the newly designed ceramics gallery—and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to engage with our audiences in new and exciting ways.”

Prior to the Art Institute, Kit served as curator of early modern glass at the Corning Museum of Glass where he was responsible for collections from about 1250 to 1820, and researched innovations of 18th-century British glass and its relationship to global trade and colonial expansion. His 2021 exhibition at Corning, In Sparkling Company: Glass and the Costs of Social Life in Britain during the 1700s shed new light on the significance of glass in domestic, court, commercial, and scientific settings. Before the Corning Museum of Glass, Kit worked in several different capacities at the Royal Collection Trust, and from 2005 through 2010 he held the position of assistant curator in the Ceramics and Glass Section at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Kit received his BA in the History of Art from University of Cambridge, his MA in Decorative Arts from University of London, and his PhD from University of Glasgow. His recent post-doctoral work includes a research degree in Nazi-era Provenance at the University of Glasgow, and another in Caribbean Studies at the University of Warwick.

Rectangular, gold-mounted commessi di pietre dure (stone mosaics) snuffbox depicting shells and coral, Florence, Grand Ducal workshops, ca.1800
(The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the V&A)

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From the press release:

The Victoria and Albert Museum will double the size of its Gilbert Galleries in March 2026, unveiling seven newly transformed rooms dedicated to one of the world’s most dazzling collections of decorative arts. The free galleries will showcase masterpieces of silver, enamel, gold boxes, stone and glass micromosaics—including a monumental table-top made by Michelangelo Barberi for Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, newly revealed after pioneering laser cleaning by V&A conservators.

The transformation of the original gallery space will create the museum’s first double aspect gallery, overlooking both the John Madejski Garden and the Exhibition Road Quarter. The new gallery spaces have been achieved by incorporating adjacent former offices, re-opening historic brick archways and embracing natural sustainability through the reinstatement of original Victorian solar shading. As the only permanent V&A galleries devoted to a private collection the Gilbert Galleries offer a rare insight into the art of collecting and its role in shaping museums.

The new Gilbert Galleries have been designed by Citizens Design Bureau, the award-winning practice founded by Katy Marks, in their first collaboration with the V&A. The reopening marks the latest milestone in FuturePlan, the V&A’s ambitious programme of development at the South Kensington site which has transformed over 85% of the Museum’s public spaces in the past 15 years. FuturePlan combines world-class design with the restoration of the original building, creating inspiring new settings for the collections and ensuring greater access for all.

The galleries will showcase one of the world’s largest collections of glass micromosaics, now with a dedicated space allowing the majority of the objects in the Gilbert Collection to be seen together for the first time. Going on display for the very first time at the V&A are two large scale views of Rome by the master, Domenico Moglia. The large-scale format plaques, first shown in the UK at the Great Exhibition of 1851, depict views of the ruined Colosseum and the Roman Forum, intricately made with tiny pieces of coloured glass, some of only a few millimetres square. The glass micromosaic technique was developed in the 18th century in the Vatican Mosaic Workshop, which is still active today.

Over 200 gold boxes will take centre stage in a new room, displayed in the round to showcase their exquisite three-dimensional craftsmanship. Highlights include diamond-set snuffboxes commissioned by Frederick ‘the Great’ II of Prussia, including a mother-of-pearl box selected for the collection by Rosalinde Gilbert herself—offering a new lens on her role as collector and her career as a couture designer in London. Across the galleries, multisensory experiences will bring the collection to life—from touchable samples of rare stones to custom-blended scents—with extensive consultation ensuring inclusive design for neurodiverse visitors and those living with dementia. The galleries will also spotlight important new research into provenance. A dedicated room explores Nazi and Soviet looting, including the redisplay of two pairs of silver-gilt gates once taken from Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery—the only examples of their kind outside the Orthodox world.

Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A, said: “The Gilbert Galleries honour the transformative philanthropy of Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert, celebrate some of the most exquisite works of art ever made, and now also explore the fascinating and sometimes complex histories behind them. As part of our FuturePlan transformation, this project combines cutting-edge design, pioneering conservation and the restoration of V&A South Kensington’s historic spaces to inspire creativity in every visitor.”

Alice Minter, Senior Curator of the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, said: “The Gilbert Collection is a feast for the eyes—from dazzling stone and glass mosaics and jewelled gold boxes to masterpieces of silver and enamel. With these new galleries, we can share the artistry of these extraordinary objects in more depth than ever before, while also asking important questions about their histories and journeys. It’s a chance for visitors to get closer to beauty, brilliance and craftsmanship on an intimate scale, but also to discover the personal stories of Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert as collectors.”

Sir Arthur Gilbert (1913–2001, knighted in 2001) and his first wife Rosalinde (1913–1995) began their careers as fashion entrepreneurs in wartime London, showing at the V&A’s Britain Can Make It! exhibition in 1946 before moving to Los Angeles in 1949, where Arthur became a successful property developer. Their Beverly Hills home inspired a passion for historic objects, and from the 1960s they built an extraordinary collection of silver, gold boxes, enamel portrait miniatures and stone and glass mosaics, many once owned by figures such as Queen Charlotte, Tsarina/ Empress Catherine II of Russia, Frederick ‘the Great’ II of Prussia, Napoleon Bonaparte, Sir Robert and Horace Walpole, the Churchill and the Rothschild families. The collection was transferred to Great Britain in 1996 and has been in the care of the V&A since 2008.

François Boucher, The Birth of Adonis, early 1730s, oil on canvas
(Prado: Museo Nacional del Prado)

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From the press release, via Art Daily:

The lavish, sensual world of French Rococo just got brighter in Madrid. The Museo Nacional del Prado has announced a major acquisition that cements its standing as a premier destination for 18th-century art: two exceptional mythological paintings by François Boucher, the undisputed star of the era. The newly acquired works, The Birth of Adonis and The Death of Adonis, offer a crucial glimpse into the early genius of Boucher (1703–1770), who would later become the court decorator par excellence for Louis XV and the favorite painter of Madame de Pompadour.

The two canvases, which cost €2.2 million, were purchased using funds generated by the generous bequest of Juan José Luna Fernández, a beloved former Prado curator and a pivotal scholar of French painting who passed away in 2020. His legacy—a Madrid home auctioned for €3.2 million—now beautifully bridges a research past with the museum’s artistic future.

Boucher’s interpretation of the Adonis myth—which blends love, tragedy, and eroticism in delicate pastoral settings—was perfectly suited to the refined taste of the Rococo. With the acquisition, the Prado can now tell a richer, more complete story of the artist. In The Birth of Adonis, Boucher captures the myth’s genesis, showing the sorrowful transformation of Myrrha into a tree, from which Adonis is born. The Death of Adonis, conversely, develops the tragic farewell scene between the goddess Venus and her lover after he is fatally wounded by a wild boar.

François Boucher, The Death of Adonis, early 1730s, oil on canvas
(Prado: Museo Nacional del Prado)

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These pieces were painted on the same bolt of canvas early in Boucher’s career, shortly after his return from Italy in 1731. They display a technical fluidity influenced by his predecessors Antoine Watteau and Sebastiano Ricci. The recent restoration not only brightened the luminous colors characteristic of Boucher but also revealed visible changes and the artist’s signature, confirming the works’ authenticity and offering a window into his creative process. The new paintings join another important Boucher work in the collection, Pan and Syrinx, which Luna was instrumental in acquiring in 1985. The newest additions powerfully expand the Prado’s representation of the Rococo master, complementing his mature style with a view of his formative years.

While Boucher’s glamorous, optimistic style—characterized by graceful lines and light color—was the height of courtly fashion across Europe, his works are comparatively scarce in Spanish collections. Historically, the Spanish Bourbon court favored Italian art or the stricter Neoclassicism championed by artists like Mengs. Boucher’s focus on gallant and mythological themes simply contrasted with the predominantly religious and historical tastes of the Spanish monarchy, meaning his major works largely remained tied to French aristocratic commissions. This acquisition, therefore, is not just a triumph of taste but an important historical correction. It gives the Spanish public access to the visual language of the 18th century’s great narrator and pays a final, fitting tribute to the curator who tirelessly championed his work.

To mark the occasion, Françoise Joulie, the world’s leading specialist on Boucher, will deliver a conference on November 12th at the Prado auditorium, inviting the public to delve deeper into the seductive genius of the artist who truly defined the spirit of the Ancien Régime.

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The V&A Storehouse has now been open six weeks. The East London building, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, houses some 250,000 objects, 350,000 books, and nearly 1,000 separate archives (with the David Bowie Collection scheduled to open in September). With costs undisclosed, estimates range from £64 to £100million (or more). I found the above video by Jessica ‘The Museum Guide’ to be helpful for conceiving of the space from afar. The storehouse is being compared to a cabinet of curiosities and IKEA. I’ll look forward to critical responses that aim to understand the project in terms of what a museum is now expected to be or do. There are obviously plenty of new things in play here; one would seem to be a new way of navigating the individual vs. group experience of a museum. –CH

From the V&A press release (28 May) . . . 

• For the first time, visitors can step inside V&A East Storehouse—the V&A’s unique museum experience and busy working store designed by architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
• Visitors can now get closer to their national collections than ever before through the V&A’s radical new Order and Object experience—now live.
• Over 1,000 objects ordered so far—with the most-ordered object a 1954 Balenciaga evening dress.
• The largest Pablo Picasso work in the world—the rarely displayed Ballets Russes Le Train Bleu stage cloth—is now display for the first time in over a decade alongside a series of monumental objects from architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office to the 15th-century Spanish Torrijos ceiling.

On Saturday, 31 May 2025, the V&A’s new working store and visitor attraction, V&A East Storehouse, opens its doors to the public for the first time following 10 years of planning and extensive audience consultation, with input from V&A East’s Youth Collective. Designed by world-renowned architects Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, it opens as part of East Bank, the new cultural quarter in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park supported by the Mayor of London.

A ground-breaking new museum experience spanning four levels, and at 16,000m2—bigger than 30+ basketball courts—V&A East Storehouse takes over a large section of the former London 2012 Olympics Media and Broadcast Centre (now Here East). It is a new purpose-built home for over 250,000 objects, 350,000 books, and 1,000 archives. A world-first in size, scale, and ambition, V&A East Storehouse immerses visitors in over half a million works spanning every creative discipline from fashion to theatre, streetwear to sculpture, design icons to pop pioneers. A busy and dynamic working museum store with an extensive self-guided experience, visitors can now get up-close to their national collections on a scale and in ways not possible before.

Tim Reeve, Deputy Director and COO, V&A, who developed the concept for V&A East Storehouse, said: “V&A East Storehouse is a completely new cultural experience and backstage pass to the V&A, transforming how people can access their national collections on a scale unimaginable until now. From conservation and how we care for our collections and cultural heritage around the world, to the artistry of our Museum Technicians and new research—there’s so much to discover. I hope our ground-breaking V&A East Storehouse opens to the public on Saturday 31 May visitors enjoy finding their creative inspiration and immersing themselves in the full theatre and wonder of the V&A as a dynamic working museum.”

Through the V&A’s radical new Order an Object service, anyone can now book to access any object at V&A East Storehouse, for free, seven-days-a-week. From mid-century furniture to ancient Egyptian shoes and Roman frescoes, an early 14th-century Simone Martini painting, Leigh Bowery costumes, Althea McNish fabrics, vintage band t-shirts and performance posters, and avant-garde fashion and couture from Balenciaga, Schiaparelli, Comme des Garcons, Issey Miyake and Vivienne Westwood, there’s something for everyone to explore. Since going live on 13 May, over 250 appointments have been booked to see over 1,000 objects from 14th-century and contemporary ceramics to a 17th-century carpet from Iran, 1930s wedding dresses and Julia Margaret Cameron photographs. So far, the most popular item ordered is a 1954 pink silk taffeta evening dress by Cristóbal Balenciaga.

Elizabeth Diller, Founding Partner, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the firm that designed the architecture for V&A East Storehouse, said: “To celebrate the heterogeneity of the V&A’s collection of collections—spanning a broad variety of mediums, scales, and historical periods—visitors will experience a sense of being immersed in a vast cabinet of curiosities. The Collections Hall invites visitors to explore pre-curated works surrounding them, not according to conventional curatorial logics or standard storage taxonomies, but guided instead by their own curiosities. It has been a joy to work with the V&A’s curators and conservators in creating this new kind of institution: neither warehouse nor museum, but rather a hybrid shared by staff and the public with expanded opportunities for access and exchange.”

Museums Minister, Sir Chris Bryant said: “It’s great to see the V&A innovating in this way—V&A East Storehouse makes it possible for everyone to delve into a massive treasure trove of art, design and performance history in ways never seen before.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “V&A East Storehouse is a brand-new, groundbreaking museum experience in East Bank, London’s new educational and cultural district, that will revolutionise access to the world’s leading collection of art, design and performance. I’m proud to be supporting this landmark project, which will allow Londoners and visitors to go behind the scenes for the first time ever and explore some incredible treasures, from Roman artefacts and modern-day music archives to the largest Picasso work in the world, all for free. It’s the next building to open at East Bank and marks a hugely significant moment in our work to create the most ambitious cultural development in decades, helping us to ensure London stays the creative capital of the world.”

From the moment they emerge into the central Weston Collections Hall, visitors will be captivated by stunning vistas across all levels, surrounded by a cross-section of the V&A’s collections. Spanning ancient Buddhist sculpture to PJ Harvey’s guitar, paintings by Angelica Kauffman’s circle, costumes worn by Vivien Leigh, works by Sir Frank Bowling and Hew Locke, items from the Glastonbury Music Festival, Suffragette scarves, vintage football shirts, Thomas Heatherwick’s model for the London 2012 Olympic Cauldron and road signs designed by Margaret Calvert, visitors can take their own path through over 100 mini curated displays hacked into the ends and sides of the storage racking.

Six large-scale objects anchor the space, on display for the first time in decades. Highlights include the 1930s Kaufmann Office, the only complete Frank Lloyd Wright interior outside of the US, an exquisite 15th-century carved and gilded wooden ceiling from the now lost Torrijos Palace in Spain, and a full-scale 20th-century Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky.

Also on show is a building section from Robin Hood Gardens, a former residential estate in east London, the 17th-century Agra Colonnade, an extraordinary example of Mughal architecture from the bathhouse at the fort of Agra, and the largest Picasso work in the world—a monumental Ballets Russes Le Train Bleu theatre stage cloth. At 10 metres high and 11 metres wide, the Picasso-signed stage cloth has been rarely seen since its debut in 1924. It is on display in the new David and Molly Lowell Borthwick Gallery of epic proportions, built to show the V&A’s striking collection of large-scale textiles and theatre stage cloths on rotation. These large objects are brought further to life with a series of co-production projects in collaboration with young east Londoners, communities, and creatives, highlighting multiple new voices and perspectives across the space, including oral histories, new films, publications, and artworks in response.

V&A East Storehouse is the first of V&A East’s two new cultural destinations to open in east London. The second, V&A East Museum, is scheduled to open in spring 2026 and celebrates making and creativity’s power to bring change. Created with young people and rooted in east London’s heritage, V&A East Museum spotlights the people, ideas, and creativity shaping global culture right now.