Top Attractions in London-Victoria and Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum is usually abbreviated as the V&A Museum; and it is the world’s most extensive collection of decorative arts and design, housing a massive collection of 4.5 million objects. The museum was named after Prince Albert and Queen Victoria; and was established in 1852. It covers an area of 12.5 acres ((51,000 m²), and its collection span 5.000 years of art, from ancient times to the present day, in virtually every domain, including the cultures of Europe, North America, Asia and North Africa.

The holdings of ceramics, glass, textiles, costumes, silver ironwork, jewellery, furniture, medieval objects, sculpture, prints and printmaking, drawings and photographs, are among the largest, important and most comprehensive in the world. The museum possesses the world's largest collection of post- classical sculpture. The holdings of Italian Renaissance items are the largest outside Italy. The departments of Asia include art from South Asia, China, Japan, Korea and the Islamic World. The East Asian collections are among the best in Europe, with particular strengths in ceramics and metalwork, while the Islamic collection, alongside the British Museum, Musée du Lourvre in Paris; and Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, is amongst the largest in the Western world.

Set in the Brompton district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, with neighbouring institutions including the Natural History Museum and Science Museum, the V&A is located in what is termed London's «Albertopolis ", an area of immense cultural, scientific and educational importance. Since 2001, the museum has embarked on a major £150m renovation programme, which has seen a major overhaul of the departments, including the introduction of newer galleries, gardens, shops and visitor facilities. In line with other national British museums, entrance to the museum had been free since 2001.

The Victoria & Albert Museum is split into four Collections departments, Asia; Furniture, Textiles and Fashion; Sculpture, Metalwork, Ceramics & Glass and Word & Image. The museum curators care for the objects in the collection and provide access to objects that are not currently on display to the public and scholars.

The collection departments are further divided into sixteen display areas, whose combined collection numbers over 6.5 million objects, though not all items are displayed or stored at the V&A. There is a repository at Blythe House, West Kensington, as well as annex institutions managed by the V&A, while the Museum also lends exhibits to other institutions.

The museum has 145 galleries, but given the vast extent of the collections, only a small percentage is ever on display.

Are you considering visiting London and the U.K.? Then contact the London official visitor agency-Visit London and Partners at: 08701 566 366  visitorinfo@londonandpartners.com     

You can also contact the City of London Information Centre: Opposite St Paul's Cathedral:

City of London, Guildhall, PO Box 270, London, EC2P 2EJ     pro@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Telephone: 020 7606 3030

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