Quick rundown of the hidden gems in the recently unveiled V&A East Storehouse:
Unveiling the V&A East Storehouse: A Trove Beneath the British Sky
Stepping into the freshly minted V&A's East Storehouse in Stratford, London, leaves you questioning the boundary between a depository and a museum. Sprawling over 172,000 square feet across four floors, it's a space boasting grandeur almost sixteen times larger than Wimbledon's Centre Court. Inside, you'll find frescoes, stage costumes, samurai swords, and some 350,000 books, all readily accessible to the public.
Senior Curator Georgia Haseldine describes this marvel as "the first time any museum has embarked on something this audacious." Filled with a hundred curated displays, the storehouse also offers an exciting opportunity to handle select items, provided they're stable and not overly fragile.
Asked to pick a highlight from this Aladdin's cave, Haseldine shares a tale about a Vivienne Westwood raincoat adorned with Jean-Honoré Fragonard's cherubs print. Over thirty years, the rubberized cotton on this timeless piece has bonded, leaving it nearly indistinguishable from a board.
The Kauffman Office designed by the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright finds its place here, too. Featuring Wright's exquisite marquetry mural, it's a splendid piece confirming why Wright is held in such high regard in the world of architecture and design.
Beyond its glistening marquetry, the 17th-century Agra fort colonnade enchants us with intricate floral carvings containing colored stones. To bring the colonnade to life, Haseldine recruited a troupe of dancers to film their rendition under enchanting lighting, mimicking a moonlit night by Agra's river.
When Ballets Russes impresario Sergei Diaghilev beheld Pablo Picasso's The Two Women Running Along the Beach, he was captivated. Diaghilev commissioned a colossal replica, which Diaghilev used as a stage cloth for the Le Train Bleu ballet. The breathtakingly large cloth is such a prized possession that it took a team of riggers, staff, and a scaffolding tower to display it when the museum exhibited it in 2010.
Yet, it's the unexpected finds that truly set this storehouse apart. Among these lesser-known treasures is a tiara from the Victorian era, with a fish scale design that rivals the elegance of mother-of-pearl at a fraction of the cost. "I can't help but wonder how it would feel to wear this tiara made of fish scales," Haseldine laughs, creating a mental picture of a bride dazzling guests with her unconventional adornment.
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Carla PassinoPassionately dedicated to the finer things in life, it's little wonder that Italian-born journalist Carla finds the English weather more enticing than the sunshine of her homeland. Having joined our platform as Arts & Antiques editor in 2023, Carla brings her deep affinity for history, preservation, and heritage to every fascinating story she shares. With her music taste forever rooted in Puccini, it's easy to picture her engrossed in tales from antiquity and the grandeur of centuries gone by.
Discovering the V&A East Storehouse's home-and-garden section unveils an array of historical artifacts, including a Victorian-era tiara with a unique fish scale design.This exciting new lifestyle offering within the museum showcases intriguing pieces that could add a touch of history to one's everyday life.
