London
The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London opened its renovated Ceramic Galleries on 18 September. The seven galleries, redesigned for the first time in 100 years, house more than 3,000 objects ranging from 2500BC to the present. Purpose-built in 1909, the galleries span the whole width of the top floor of the museum. London-based architects Stanton Williams were responsible for the redesign, extending the original galleries to include a new room for temporary displays in reclaimed office space. The first display here is “Objects of Luxury”, showing 18th-century French porcelain. The V&A now has a dedicated gallery for contemporary ceramics, which includes a site-specific installation by British potter Edmund de Waal, created with the help of an Art Fund donation. Other galleries include World Ceramics, Making Ceramics (which explores ceramic production and incorporates a workshop area), Architectural Ceramics, 20th-Century Studio Pottery and 20th-Century Factory Ceramics. The galleries were primarily funded by the Headley Trust and Sir Timothy Sainsbury, along with the Ronald and Rita McAulay Foundation, DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund and private donations.
originally appeared in The Art Newspaper as 'Ceramics at the V&A'