V&A announce opening date for new entrance, courtyard and exhibition gallery designed by AL_A
May 2 2017The V&A have announced that the Exhibition Road Quarter will open on 30 June 2017.
A new entrance, purpose-built gallery and the first porcelain-tiled public courtyard in the world will be accessed through the remodelled arches of the Aston Webb screen. This will open the museum up to Exhibition Road and create a new relationship between the museum and the street, and transform the Quarter into an urban as well as a cultural project.
The innovative and ambitious project creates beautiful new public spaces and galleries for London, refashioning the experience of the V&A for visitors, and revealing historic facades of the V&A’s existing Grade I listed buildings for the first time.
Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A, says:
“The completion of the V&A’s Exhibition Road Quarter is a hugely exciting moment for the V&A. Our largest architectural intervention for 100 years revives the pioneering spirit of Albertopolis, reconnecting us to Exhibition Road and our world-class cultural partners. I am delighted to announce 30 June as the public opening of London’s latest cultural landmark. That week we also launch our exciting REVEAL festival, which will celebrate this stunning fusion of history and modernity, art and performance, tradition and innovation – as only the V&A can.”
After winning the competition in 2011, construction began in 2013 and the 2017 opening coincides with the Museum’s 165th anniversary.
The new spaces include:
The Sainsbury Gallery, a versatile, purpose-built 1,100sqm column-free exhibition space for the V&A’s world leading programme of temporary exhibitions.
The Sackler Courtyard, the world’s first all-porcelain public courtyard, inspired by the rich tradition of ceramics at the V&A.
The Blavatnik Hall, a new entrance into the V&A that will transform how visitors experience and discover the Museum and collections.
