V&A’s new location to open soon: it will host David Bowie’s archive

The V&A East Storehouse, which will replace the current Blythe House, will open on 31 May 2025 in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, bringing the museum’s vast non-display collections into public view for the first time in generations. Designed by New York architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro and supported by Austin-Smith:Lord, the storehouse will showcase 250,000 objects, 350,000 books and  1,000 archives spanning four multi-use areas freely accessible for self-guided visits, allowing the public to explore, listen and get up close to the day-to-day activity of a working museum store.

Key attractions will include the David Bowie Centre, the new home of David Bowie’s archive, which will display about 90,000 items that trace Bowie’s creative process and a vast array of objects like Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s office for Edgar J. Kaufmann , the 15th-century marquetry ceiling from the now destroyed Altamira Palace near Toledo and Grete Lihotzky’s Frankfurt Kitchen that have not been on display for decades due to their size. The Storehouse will also feature 100 curated displays alongside experiential installations and a world-first “Order an Object” service, a forward-thinking new seven-day-a-week system that will allow people to book to see any item they would like on any day they wish.

Opening image: View across the Collections Hall at V&A East Storehouse © Diller Scofidio + Renfro