David Bowie archive acquired by London museum
David Bowie
The V&A Museum has taken control of a massive 80,000-piece archive of material from the estate of David Bowie. The archive contains handwritten notebooks, letters, costumes, instruments, awards, fashion, photography, film, music videos, set designs and many other things.
David Bowie’s estate announced, “It also includes more intimate writings, thought processes and unrealised projects, the majority of which have never been seen in public before. The archive traces Bowie’s creative processes as a musical innovator, cultural icon, and advocate for self-expression and reinvention from his early career in the 1960s to his death in 2016. Alongside the creation of the new Centre, the gift will support the ongoing conservation, research, and study of the archive.”
The items are set to go on display in 2025 at The David Bowie Centre for the Study of Performing Arts in Stratford.
The museum will have a separate storehouse that is set to offer a new experience which will store over 250,000 objects, 350,000 books and 1,000 archives in conservation labs, research and reading rooms, galleries and creative spaces throughout the building.
