- The Entrance Rotunda: The Rotunda, or main entrance, of the V&A is amazing in its own right. A magnificent, 30 foot high, blown glass chandelier by Dale Chihuly. The chandelier was installed in 2000 as the first stage of the V&A’s modernization and redevelopment. It is intended as a statement of the V&A’s commitment to modern design. The chandelier was originally going to be titled Ice Blue and Spring Green Chandelier, but is now known as the V&A Chandelier.
The Cast Collection: The V&A’s cast collection is an interesting mix of busts, statues and other plaster cast images. Collecting plaster casts was very popular in the mid to late 19th century. Museums acquired reproductions of important monuments and works of art to complement their collections, art schools collected plaster casts for students to study, and collectors bought casts for their own personal interest or to decorate their homes. The cast collection at the V&A is large! You won’t able to get around them all, but make sure to check out a plaster cast of Michealango’s David, as well as the cast of his fig leaf.- Fashion and Jewelery Gallery, the Grace Kelly – Style Icon exhibition: This exhibition shows the spectacular wardrobe of Grace Kelly, one of the most popular actresses of the 1950′s. When people think of Grace Kelly they usually recall her beauty and elegance. She rose to fame starring in films by Alfred Hitchcock and others. The exhibition features dresses from her films including High Society and Rear Window, as well as the gown she wore to accept her Oscar in 1955
It also displays the evolution of her style as she transition from Grace Kelly the actress to Princess Grace of Monaco, and includes the outfit she wore to her first meeting with Prince Rainier, and her haute couture gowns of the 1960′s and ’70′s by her favourite couturiers Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy and Yves St Laurent.
After checking out these three galleries why not stop for a bite to eat at the V&A Cafe?
A museum cafe is not usually worth getting worked up about, but the V&A cafe run by renowned caterer Benugo might just be the exception to that rule. It is located in the original refreshment rooms – the first museum restaurant in the world.
The main dining room is an opulent tiled cavern, with cherubs in dark creme, classical scenes in royal blue, shinning dark wood panels, and gold and deep red tiled pillars.
The room is intended as a showpiece of modern design, craftsmanship and manufacturing. The V&A Café offers a huge choice of food – chewy ciabatta rolls, steaming steak and kidney pie, succulent salads, creamy smoked salmon quiche and an array of cakes, tarts and pastries – all in one of London’s most extraordinary settings.
After your delicious lunch there are two more must see stops in the museum.
- In the Prints and Books collection is the Beatrix Potterexhibit: Although she died in 1943, Beatrix Potter is still one of the world’s best-selling and best-loved children’s authors. Potter wrote and illustrated a total of 28 books, including the 23 Tales, the little books that have been translated into more than 35 languages and sold over 100 million copies. The V&A holds the world’s largest collection of Potter’s drawings, literary manuscripts, correspondence, photographs and related materials, and hosts a changing display of her work in the Beatrix Potter Showcase. As a child and young adult Potter visited the V&A to study and copy prints and drawings, and, later, costumes – her illustrations of the mayor’s wedding outfit in The Tailor of Gloucester (1903) are exact copies of 18th-century clothes in the museum’s collections.
Although she is best known as the creator of charming and exquisitely illustrated children’s stories, Beatrix Potter had other significant talents. Achieving far more than was expected of – or thought proper for – the daughter of a rich Victorian family, she was not only an artist and writer, but a gifted natural scientist and botanical illustrator, then, later in life, an enthusiastic farmer, sheep-breeder and conservationist.
The gallery includes an exhibition of her early life, her career as an author and illustrator, and recent discoveries which show the artistic family she came from. 
For your last stop, I recommend a visit to the Asia collection, and more specifically, the display Temple and Worship in China. There are three main systems of belief in China: Daoism (sometimes written Taoism), Buddhism and Confucianism. Chinese people did not adhere strictly to one religion. They carried out the religious observance most appropriate to the occasion, finding that the three religions complemented rather than contradicted each other.
The Asia collection, like the cast collection, is extremely large and you could spend hours there, but make sure to check out the pair of ancestor portraits. The husband and wife portraits would have played a part in the ceremonies all Chinese families carried out in honour of their ancestors. The silk banners are also interesting. The banners are a way followers of the Buddhist faith demonstrated their piety and were offered at temples or shrines in honour of the Buddha.
The V&A opens at 10 am daily and admission is free.
At the end of your visit why not jump in a cab and head to The Drayton Arms at 153 Old Brompton Road, Kensington (map).
The Drayton Arms is the 2009 winner of the Best Bar None award for Kensington and Chelsea. A beautiful Victorian Pub set in a late 19th century building, the pub offers comfy sofas, massive picture windows, and a fire. It’s the perfect place to enjoy an English roast with all the trimmings and finish off your busy day.
Photo credits: South Kensington Victoria and Albert Museums by Wallyg via flickr; V&A David by Paul Stevenson via flickr; Asia display V & A by John Griffiths via flickr.
2 Comments