The David Bowie Centre at V&A East Storehouse is now open, with more than 200 items spotlighting key moments from his career on display.
The David Bowie Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is the new permanent home for the star’s archive – made available to the public in entirety for the first time.
Among the items on display are the iconic costumes and instruments from his career, footage of his most famous performances and never before seen items including The Spectator – an unrealised musical he was working on until his death in 2016.
Dr Madeleine Haddon, curator, V&A East, said: “Bowie was a pioneering multidisciplinary creative - musician, actor, writer, performer, and cultural icon - working in a way many young creatives move fluidly across disciplines today. He was fascinated by the modern musical form and the 18th century as a threshold of modernity, shaped by the Enlightenment, advances in the arts, science, and philosophy.
“His plans for The Spectator, among other creative projects that can be seen across the displays, reveal his continual drive to experiment with boundary-pushing ideas and creative forms throughout his life and career, as well as his meticulous creative process, which visitors can delve into throughout his archive and across the David Bowie Centre’s opening displays.”
The centre is located at the V&A East Storehouse, the recently opened working store for the V&A’s collection. The public can book admission to the centre for free, with tickets released every six weeks.
What’s on display?
A series of nine rotating displays featuring approximately 200 highlights from the British cultural icon’s career make up the David Bowie Centre. Each display explores different themes, from Bowie’s creative process and personas to his many collaborators and influences spanning Little Richard to Jungle and Drum & Bass.
Overhead, visitors can see 20 of David Bowie’s most iconic fashion and costumes including Freddie Burretti’s Ziggy Stardust looks, Agnes b’s Heathen ensembles and Bowie’s 1992 Thierry Mugler wedding suit.
A new film has been created, showcasing performances and music videos from his career, whilst an interactive installation, The Library of Connections, traces the impact of Bowie on popular culture from TV to fashion and musicians including Lady Gaga, Charli XCX, Janelle Monae, and Kendrick Lamar.
Unseen items from David Bowie’s career are also on display as part of the working archive, including his first ever instrument - a saxophone brought for him by his father in the early 1960s, iconic and unfinished costumes, stage sets, and life size puppets of Bowie’s many personas for a music video that was never released designed by creator of the Muppets, Jim Henson.
V&A East Storehouse
V&A East Storehouse is home to the V&A’s collection of more than half a million items and archives from the worlds of art, design, performance, fashion and more. Items on display range from the Glastonbury Festival archive to Elton John’s costumes, vintage football shirts, high-end fashion from Dior to Balenciaga, Roman paintings, samurai swords, furniture and the iPhone.
It is the first of V&A East’s two new cultural destinations to open in east London. The second, V&A East Museum, is scheduled to open in spring 2026. Admission is free but groups should get in touch to book self-guided visits and programmes.
For more information about The David Bowie Centre, click here.
