The Making of V&A East

The inside story of one of the most radical museum developments of the 21st century

The Making of V&A East embodies the V&A’s mission to make art, design, and creativity available to everyone. It is a sourcebook of creativity that will inspire the artists and designers of today and tomorrow. The site in East London encompasses V&A East Storehouse (now opened to great acclaim) and V&A East Museum. Together, they are an open-access repository for over half a million works that span every creative discipline, and a new museum that celebrates making and creativity’s power to bring change by spotlighting the people and ideas that shape global culture right now. If that weren’t enough, it holds the David Bowie archive. The Making of V&A East sets out the ambitions of this landmark development. Celebrating the buildings’ home in the creative crucible of East London, and showcasing the story of the two locations, it is a truly collaborative project at a local and global scale. The book brings together a multitude of contributions, from curators, project managers, educators, artists and others―with reflections on the future of museums from directors, architects, and curators across the world.

• A World's Greatest Place of 2026 - Time Magazine

Tim Reeve is deputy director and chief operating officer of the V&A.