There are many superlatives you can throw around about David Bowie (we're guilty of doing so regularly), but the man undoubtedly had an ego on him — and thank god he did.
The late singer-songwriter kept his own archive with its own archivist, and it was this Aladdin's cave of carefully-documented stage costumes, instruments, fan art and so-forth that went on to feed the V&A's 2017 smash hit exhibition David Bowie Is. In turn, this has now transmuted into something even more significant: The David Bowie Centre at V&A East Storehouse.
Opening to the public on Saturday 13 September 2025 (it's ticketed, with drops every six weeks), the repository — or should that be reliquary? — adds another sheen of stardust to what we already regard as a sublime venue which has categorically torn up the museum rulebook.
This Bowie-dedicated corner of London's Most Thrilling Warehouse flaunts more of the V&A's rebellious curation: a ceiling-height screen belting out two hours of Bowie videos. A wall of fluctuating vitrines divvied into topics like 'Perseverance', 'Creative personas' and 'Unrealised projects'.
Look: There's the Union Jack frockcoat designed by Alexander McQueen for Bowie's Earthling tour. Post-it notes plotting out a musical set in 18th century London, which Bowie never got around to completing. A haughty letter from Apple Records in 1968 firmly stating they are "not interested in signing David Bowie". (How do these record execs always get it so wrong?)
Even in this very select snapshot of Bowie career, the impact that he made verges on the overwhelming. The curators are still only halfway through cataloguing the whole thing. It's out of this world.
The real lure of the David Bowie Centre, however, is the V&A's continued redefinition of a 'hands-on' museum. Anyone can arrange to have any one of 2,500-odd Bowie-related objects pulled off the shelves, and placed in front of them for a private viewing. Among the pieces laid out on press day are the guitar Bowie strums in the Space Oddity video, a comically uncomfortable looking PVD tuxedo co-designed by Bowie and Mark Ravitz (the former wore it on an appearance on Saturday Night Live, and never again) and the double-ended key to the Berlin apartment Bowie shared with Iggy Pop. (The tales that key could tell...)
It is giddy-making stuff, and the V&A really make you feel like a VIP — some things you're even allowed to handle — though good luck convincing them to let you show off your cover version of The Man Who Sold the World on one of Bowie's vintage axes.
Bowie might've had an ego on him, but this collection is about far more than the man himself. There's an affectionate display on his long-time bandmate, Gail Ann Dorsey. Nile Rodgers and The Last Dinner Party handpick items which reflect the powerful impact Bowie had on them. The fact Bowie kept and cherished fan art — not to mentioned the flotsam and jetsam of his own unfinished projects — demonstrates his deep passion for creativity as a whole.
The V&A will collaborate with young people from east London, to unearth and share items from the collection that resonate with them. Some will not even have heard of Bowie yet, although perhaps in time they'll be the next Bowie.
This is an exciting week for pop culture fans; Mick Jones from the Clash is opening a pop-up museum in east London from 13-18 September.
David Bowie Centre at V&A East Storehouse, open from Saturday 13 September. Booking ahead is essential.
All images by Londonist
