The V&A’s newest museum opens in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with its landmark exhibition, The Music is Black: A British Story, celebrating 125 years of Black British music.
V&A East Museum opens its doors as part of East Bank, the new cultural quarter in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London. Set across a spacious five-storey building, it was co-created with young people, creatives and people living, working and studying in east London.
Its first landmark exhibition, The Music is Black: A British Story, is said to be the largest ever display on the impact of Black British music on the UK and around the world. Featuring more than 200 objects, the exhibition traces 125 years of Black British music, telling hidden stories of early legends and contemporary artists.
Highlights include Stormzy’s iconic 2019 Glastonbury vest designed by Banksy, originally conceived on the back of a napkin, Joan Armatrading’s childhood guitar, fashion worn by Seal and Dame Shirley Bassey, as well as ground-breaking musician Winifred Atwell’s piano.
The V&A has also acquired more than 50 photographs from the 1960s to the 2010s, many on display in the exhibition for the first time. Works include Dennis Morris’s early photographs of Bob Marley and Soulla Petrou’s portrait of UK garage and R&B trio, Mis-Teeq.
The museum is the sister site to the V&A East Storehouse, which opened in May 2025 which invites visitors to go behind-the-scenes of the worlds of art, design, performance, fashion and more.
Highlights of V&A East Museum
V&A East Museum’s new free permanent Why We Make galleries offer a fresh look at contemporary culture through the V&A’s collections. The galleries hold more than 500 objects spanning art, architecture, design, performance, and fashion.
Photographic works by Claude Cahun, Maud Sulter and Shadi Ghadirian are shown alongside a Renaissance self-portrait of Italian painter Sofonisba Anguissola and Molly Goddard’s feminist fashion to uncover how we find our place in the world by visualising ourselves in it.
Visitors can also see furniture by Yinka Ilori, fashion by Alexander McQueen, carnival costumes by Keith Khan and ceramics by Bisila Noha.
Other highlights of visits to the V&A East will include New Work, a twice yearly rotating programme of creative commissions, other temporary displays and a programme of free events such as artist-led workshops, conversations and live performances.
Visits to the museum
Entry to the museum is free and it is open seven days a week between 10am and 6pm, with late night openings to 10pm every Thursday and Saturday. Tickets are on sale for the exhibition. Group booking information is not currently available.
The Mayor of London has spearheaded and funded the creation of East Bank and V&A East Museum. The UK’s newest culture and education quarter is said to be the single biggest investment in London’s cultural landscape since the Great Exhibition of 1851 and is expected to welcome over 1.5 million visitors a year and generate £1.5 billion for London’s economy.
More than a decade in the making
Gus Casely-Hayford, V&A East director, said: “Over 10 years in the making, we’re delighted to open V&A East Museum, a space created with and for our audiences, including young people and east Londoners, in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
“Sister site to V&A East Storehouse, it’s part of East Bank and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic legacy. Everyone is welcome at V&A East Museum. From The Music is Black: A British Story to our Why We Make galleries, New Work commissions and live events and activities, we hope you see yourself, your stories, and experiences represented here.”
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The opening of V&A East Museum is a major milestone in the growing success of East Bank. It will play a big part in our capital’s world-leading cultural scene, celebrating creativity, creating opportunities and showing the power the arts can have.
“The inaugural exhibition, Music is Black: A British Story, fittingly celebrates the role of Black British music and the impact it has had across the globe. Following on from the successful opening of V&A East Storehouse, V&A East Museum is boosting East Bank’s cultural offering even further, helping to build a better London for everyone.”
For more information about the V&A East Museum go to www.vam.ac.uk/east
