The V&A’s varied buildings reflect a museum founded to educate designers, manufacturers, and the public. Its roots reach back to the Great Exhibition of 1851, and its South Kensington home grew through additions as collections and ideas about design expanded.
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The V&A asks you to notice design everywhere, including in the museum building itself. Its origins followed the Great Exhibition of 1851, whose displays prompted Prince Albert and Henry Cole to promote a South Kensington centre for art and science education.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- The museum was founded in 1852 and moved to its present site in 1857.
- Its origins are connected to the Great Exhibition of 1851.
- Its buildings were intended to exemplify contemporary architecture and design.
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