An intensive archive of David Bowie’s lifestyles, work and legacy will hasten on point out to the final public for the first time in 2025, it has been announced.
Bought by the Victoria and Albert Museum (V and A), the exhibition will encompass more than 80,000 objects that span six a long time of the cultural icon’s career.
They’re going to be made available to the final public by the creation of The David Bowie Centre for the Peek of Performing Arts, that can launch in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
This could perchance simply allow followers and researchers alike to rep up shut and attain contemporary insights into Bowie’s inventive path of worship surely no longer sooner than, the V and A said.
The series will characteristic handwritten lyrics, letters, sheet tune, usual costumes, type, photography, movie, tune videos, field designs, album art work and awards.
This could perchance also encompass devices owned by the field-smartly-known musician, as smartly as writings and unrealised projects surely no longer sooner than considered in public.
Highlights encompass stage costumes akin to Bowie’s leap forward Ziggy Stardust ensembles, designed by Freddie Burretti in 1972, Kansai Yamamoto’s creations for the Aladdin Sane tour in 1973, and the Union Jack coat designed by Bowie and Alexander McQueen for the 1997 Earthling album quilt.
The archive additionally comprises over 70,000 photos, prints, negatives, slides and contact sheets taken by about a of the 20th century’s main photographers from Terry O’Neill to Brian Duffy and Helmut Newton.
Its acquisition by the V and A and the creation of the centre used to be made that it’s good to perchance have the opportunity to deem of on memoir of the David Bowie Property and £10 million donation from the Blavatnik Household Foundation and Warner Music Group.
Dr Tristram Hunt, director of the V and A, said: “David Bowie used to be one of many supreme musicians and performers of all time.
“The V and A is extremely overjoyed to alter into custodians of his fabulous archive, and so as to launch it up for the final public.
“Bowie’s radical innovations across tune, theatre, movie, type, and class – from Berlin to Tokyo to London – proceed to book scheme and visual custom and serve creatives from Janelle Monáe to Girl Gaga to Tilda Swinton and Raf Simons.
“Our contemporary collections centre, V&A East Storehouse, is the particular field to place Bowie’s work in dialogue with the V and A’s series spanning 5,000 years of art, scheme, and performance.
“My deepest thanks hasten to the David Bowie Property, Blavatnik Household Foundation and Warner Music Group for serving to label this a truth and for providing a contemporary sourcebook for the Bowies of the next day.”
A spokesperson from the David Bowie Property, added: “With David’s lifestyles’s work changing into share of the UK’s national collections, he takes his rightful field amongst many other cultural icons and inventive geniuses.
“The David Bowie Centre for the Peek of Efficiency – and the in the back of the scenes rep entry to that V and A East Storehouse provides – will imply David’s work could be shared with the final public in methods that haven’t been that it’s good to perchance have the opportunity to deem of sooner than.
“We’re so gratified to be working intently with the V and A to proceed to commemorate David’s enduring cultural impact.”
Max Lousada, chief govt of recorded tune at Warner Music Group, said: “As the stewards of David Bowie’s phenomenal tune catalogue, we’re overjoyed to expand our relationship alongside with his estate by this partnership with the V&A.
“This archive guarantees to be an unparalleled point out of particular person inventive brilliance, invention, and transformation.
“Bowie’s impact handiest grows in stature over time, and this could be a lasting occasion of his profound legacy.”