V&A Museum, London: Collecting the world under one roof

For Londoners, the Victoria & Albert Museum used to be a pleasantly sleepy place – a tranquil refuge from the school-trip chaos of the Science Museum across the road.

Yet lately, something’s changed. Blockbuster exhibitions like the Alexander McQueen retrospective, Savage Beauty, have transformed this august institution into London’s most fashionable museum.

And now it’s been shortlisted for the Art Fund’s Museum of the Year.

Entering through the aptly named Grand Entrance, this change of mood is apparent straight away.

The marble foyer bustles with foreign visitors; the bookshop and restaurant are attractions in their own right.

The secluded John Madejski Garden, with its stylish paddling pool, is a haven for toddlers and sunbathers. This isn’t just a museum – it’s a rendezvous.

However it’s the collection that makes the Victoria & Albert Museum so special – more than two million objets d'art, spanning everything from crockery to haute couture.

Over three million people visit its South Kensington site every year. Almost a third of these visitors are students, coming here in search of inspiration, just like Alexander McQueen used to do.

During the last decade, applied art and design has become a central part of British culture. It’s no longer a niche interest – nowadays it’s as mainstream as pop music or the movies.

The V&A reflects this shift in populist attitudes. It’s also played a part in bringing this shift about.

The V&A is best known for applied arts, but it’s also full of other treasures. It boasts a superb collection of 19th Century British painting (particularly Constable and Turner) and some exquisite medieval art.

However most of these exhibits have always been here, so what’s changed?

Gradually, the V&A’s galleries have been overhauled - and although the specific alterations have been subtle, the cumulative difference is dramatic.

No longer do you tramp past rows and rows of antique curios in glass cases.

Different genres have been brought together, making the displays much more immersive.

Dynamic curation has brought these dead objects back to life. The latest section to get a makeover is the Europe 1600-1815 Galleries.

Joanna Norman, the V&A’s Deputy Head of Research, takes time out to show me round. The original architecture has been revealed and the exhibition space has been expanded.

"It’s about creating a more pleasant visitor experience, and improving physical access to the objects," says Joanna. There’s a lot more natural light. The overall effect is clear to see.

The V&A’s internationalism has always been one of its main attractions – it’s a treat to sneak in here for an hour or two, and take a quick trip around the world.

However traditionally, the V&A’s displays have tended to focus on specific regions – artefacts from Asia or Africa in one room, artefacts from Europe in another.

These new European galleries show how European tastes have been shaped by trade with the Far East and the New World.

"It’s about putting Europe in its global context," explains Joanna. "We’ve brought in objects from our Asian collections, and from the Spanish Americas."

And now the V&A is expanding its own horizons. Last year its touring exhibitions travelled to ten countries, where they were seen by over a million people.

In 2017, the current redevelopment of the South Kensington site will be completed, reinvigorating this historic building. "It’s about creating much more inviting spaces - much more welcoming spaces," says Joanna.

And in 2018, the V&A will open a new Museum of Design in Dundee.

For 150 years, the V&A has inspired future designers and manufacturers here in South Kensington. In a couple of years, it’ll be inspiring a new generation of Scots designers and manufacturers, in its new home on the River Tay.

This year’s Museum of the Year winner will be announced at London’s Natural History Museum on 6 July.