Arab World Institute
1987
Victoria and Albert Museum
London · Founded 1852
Five thousand years of what people made to be looked at and used: textiles, ceramics, furniture, fashion, photographs. Free to enter, and the world’s largest museum of applied arts, with 2.8 million objects across six sites.
- 3.5M
- Visitors a year
- 1852
- Founded
- Free
- Admission
- Daily 10–5.45
- Daily opening hours
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Arab World Institute
1987
The Institut du monde arabe is an organisation founded in Paris in 1980 by France with 18 Arab countries to research and disseminate information about the Arab world and its cultural and spiritual values. The Institute was established as a result of a perceived lack of representation for the Arab world in France, and seeks to provide a secular location for the promotion of Arab civilisation, art, knowledge, and aesthetics.
Kalpasutra
The Kalpa Sūtra (Sanskrit: कल्पसूत्र) is an important Jain scripture containing the biographies of the Tirthankaras, notably Parshvanatha and Mahavira. Ascribed to Acharya Bhadrabahu, which would place it in the 4th century BCE, it states that it was written down 980 or 993 years after the Nirvana (Moksha) of Mahavira or 1230 years after the Nirvana of Tirthankar Parswanath.
The Four Stages of Cruelty
William Hogarth
The Four Stages of Cruelty is a series of four printed engravings published by English artist William Hogarth in 1751. Each print depicts a different stage in the life of the fictional Tom Nero.
Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna Everage, often known simply as Dame Edna, is a character which was created and portrayed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries, known for her lilac-coloured ("wisteria hue") hair and cat eye glasses ("face furniture"); her favourite flower, the gladiolus ("gladdies"); and her boisterous greeting "Hello, Possums!" As Dame Edna, Humphries wrote several books, including an autobiography, My Gorgeous Life; appeared in several films; and hosted several television shows (on which Humphries also appeared as himself and other alter-egos). Humphries regularly updated Edna.
The Day Dream
Dante Gabriel Rossetti · 1880
The Day Dream or, as it was initially intended to be named, Monna Primavera, is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood founder member Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The work, which measures 158.7 centimetres (62.5 in) high by 92.7 centimetres (36.5 in) wide, was undertaken in 1880 and depicts Jane Morris in a seated position on the bough of a sycamore tree. In her hand is a small stem of honeysuckle – a token of love in the Victorian era – that may be an indication of the secret affair the artist was immersed in with her at the time. The artwork was left to the Victoria and Albert Museum by Constantine Alexander Ionides in 1900.
Samson Slaying a Philistine
Giambologna · 1562
Samson Slaying a Philistine is a marble sculpture created around 1562 by Giambologna. Originally commissioned by Francesco de' Medici for a fountain in Florence, this sculpture was later gifted to Spain's Duke of Lerma and displayed in the gardens of the Palacio de la Ribera, Valladolid.
The collections
Architecture
In 2004, the V&A alongside Royal Institute of British Architects opened the first permanent gallery in the UK covering the history of architecture with displays using models, photographs, elements from buildings and original drawings.
Islamic art
The museum holds over 19,000 objects from the Islamic world, ranging from the early Islamic period (the 7th century) to the early 20th century.
Asia
The V&A's Asia collection numbers more than 160,000 objects, one of the largest in existence.
Books
The South Kensington building houses the National Art Library, a public library containing over 750,000 books, photographs, drawings, paintings and prints.
British galleries
These fifteen galleries, which opened in November 2001, contain around 4,000 objects and are based around three major themes: "Style", "Who Led Taste" and "What Was New".
Ceramics
This is the largest and most comprehensive ceramics collection in the world, with over 80,000 objects.
Glass
The glass collection covers 4000 years of glassmaking, and has over 6000 pieces from Africa, Britain, Europe, America and Asia.
Prints and drawings
Prints and drawings from the over 750,000 works in the collection can be seen on request at the print room, the "Prints and Drawings study Room"; booking an appointment is necessary.
Artists
Italy · 1598–1680
Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini was an Italian sculptor, architect, painter and city planner. Bernini's creative abilities and mastery in a range of artistic arenas define him as a uomo universale or Renaissance ma
English · 1697–1764 · French Realism
William Hogarth was an English painter, engraver, satirist, cartoonist and writer. His work ranges from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like series of pictures called "modern moral subjects", and he is perhaps best
1301–1415
Andrés Marzal de Sas, or Andreu Marçal de Sax was a painter of Dutch origin who worked in Valencia. Based on his name, he was from Sas van Gent, although some sources indicate he may have been from Saxony.
Republic of Venice · 1757–1822
Antonio Canova was an Italian Neoclassical sculptor, famous for his marble sculptures. Often regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists, his sculpture was inspired by the Baroque and the classical revival, and
Italian · 1430–1490 · Gothic art
Carlo Crivelli was an Italian Renaissance painter of conservative Late Gothic decorative sensibility, who spent his early years in the Veneto, where he absorbed influences from the Vivarini, Squarcione, and Mantegna.
Artworks
Portrait of a Lady known as Esmeralda Brandini
Sandro Botticelli · c. 1475
Theseus and the Minotaur
Antonio Canova · 1781
The Waterseller of Seville
Diego Velázquez · 1620
Neptune and Triton
Gian Lorenzo Bernini · 1620
The Three Trees
Rembrandt · 1643
Altarpiece of Saint George
Andrés Marzal de Sas · 1410
The Sultan Mehmet II
Gentile Bellini · 1480
Great Bed of Ware
Hans Vredeman de Vries · 1590
Chellini Madonna
Donatello · 1456
Plan your visit
Hours
Daily 10am to 5.45pm, and Fridays until 10pm, though some galleries close after 5.45pm. The galleries begin clearing thirty minutes before closing. Confirm on www.vam.ac.uk before you travel.
Admission
Free.
Getting there
Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL.
On their own site
Opening hours, tickets and current exhibitions are on the museum’s own site.
More guides to explore
Invite Victoria and Albert Museum into your living room
25 works from this collection are available on Momentable, free to view, on your TV, phone, or tablet.
