The V&A British Galleries
Christopher Wilk presents the new galleries presenting the history of design in Britain
This month, the Victoria and Albert Museum opens its new British Galleries 1500-1900, the result of an ambitious, five-year project, financed in part by the Heritage Lottery Fund. They form the largest project that the V&A has undertaken since its staff re-installed the entire Museum in 1947–52, after the evacuation of objects to safe storage during the Second World War. Indeed, in terms of floor space (3,400 square metres) and number of objects (3,000), these galleries are larger than many museums in Britain or elsewhere.
Of greater interest than the size of the British Galleries is the new and exciting view of British culture over four centuries that they offer. They present a new museological approach to mainly high-style, British decorative and fine art and are distinguished by their engagement with a broad range of historical themes, as well as by their use of a variety of interpretative methods aimed at providing for the needs of different museum visitors.
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