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Global Africa Collection at the V&A
Global Africa Collection at the V&A
Discover more about the history of the V&A's Global Africa Collection and our ongoing work to shape collecting policies and practice.
The Global Africa collection brings together works by artists, designers and performers of Global African descent, alongside works that represent Global Africans. Ranging from Carrie Mae Weems' legendary photography to a pair of Grace Wales Bonner 'Afrique' jeans, from Kehinde Wiley's decorative portrait of Melissa Thompson to Keith Khan's Trinidad carnival jab jab costumes, the array of objects in the collection originate from the continent and its global diasporas, including the Caribbean. Discover more about the collection through highlight objects, interviews with creatives, and news of upcoming exhibitions and events.
Global Africa Collection at the V&A
Discover more about the history of the V&A's Global Africa Collection and our ongoing work to shape collecting policies and practice.
Cloth of a continent: Africa Fashion
Discover more about African cloth types through our collections
Althea McNish – an introduction
Discover how Althea McNish's tropical textile designs changed the character of British Modernism
Fashion Unpicked: couture ensemble by Imane Ayissi
Join Senior Curator Christine Checinska as she examines this striking fuchsia ensemble
The puzzle of portraits: Francis Williams and Vanley Burke
Explore two important portraits separated by three centuries
Nigeria's first fashion designer: Shade Thomas-Fahm
Meet iconic fashion designer Shade Thomas-Fahm
Whitney Houston's dress for the 1994 Grammy Awards
Take a close-up look at the glittering dress that was worn by Whitney Houston at the Grammy Awards in 1994
V&A trail: Africa fashion
Follow this trail to discover African fashion and textiles across our collections
Staying Power: Photographs of Black British Experience
Staying Power aims to raise awareness of the contribution of black Britons to British culture and society, as well as to the art of photography
Magician of the desert: Alphadi
Meet Alphadi – world renowned fashion designer drawing upon histories and cultures from across the continent
Nisha Kanabar: Industrie Africa
Meet Nisha Kanabar, founder and CEO of Industrie Africa
A life through clothes: Professor Lalage Bown, OBE
Take a look inside the wardrobe of Professor Lalage Bown, OBE
V&A trail: Africans in Europe
Take a closer look at European depictions of race, enslavement, pride, freedom, equality and activism
Europe Supported by Africa and America by Sokari Douglas Camp
Unpack the symbolism behind this spectacular sculpture
Solidarity and design: An introduction to OSPAAAL
Find out more about OSPAAAL
Revolutionary design: OSPAAAL and the art of the poster
Design and make a talking textile
Learn about some of Africa's 'talking textiles' and have a go at making your own!
Fashion in Motion: Thebe Magugu
Marvel at pieces inspired by fabrics discarded by Europe and America
Dream weavers
Discover the African creatives who are reinvigorating ancient textiles and inventing radical new fabrics
Real Beauty: photography by Jodi Bieber
Photographer Jodi Bieber invited women to pose in their own homes, dressed in their underwear, for her series Real Beauty
V&A trail: Britain and the Caribbean
Explore the traumatic history that connects Britain and the Caribbean
Àdìrẹ – 'tied and dyed' indigo textiles
Discover a hugely popular African textile tradition
Studio, street and style: the photography of James Barnor
Meet the pioneering portrait photographer James Barnor
Fashion in Motion: Grace Wales Bonner
Grace Wales Bonner presented highlights from her collection which take inspiration from black visual culture and mix couture techniques with African craft
Fashion design: Priya Ahluwalia
"One of the most important outfits in a man's wardrobe is a tracksuit"
The story of The Supremes
Mary Wilson, co-founder of The Supremes, talks about her extraordinary career and the heyday of Motown
The Wedgwood anti-slavery medallion
Discover more about Wedgwood's anti-slavery medallion – a forerunner of the protest badge
Francis Williams – a portrait of a writer
Explore the portrait of scholar and writer Francis Williams
Ayishat Akanbi – Cultural commentator, stylist and artist
Thomas J Price at the V&A
Discover Thomas J Price's sculptures, which, when placed in dialogue with works in the V&A Sculpture Galleries, prompt questions about representation and the ways in which art is displayed.
Monumentalism, representation and materiality – Thomas J Price at the V&A
Price discusses how his work raises questions of representation, perception and power, prompting us to think about the nature of monuments: who is represented and why?
Find out about the trailblazing women who paved the way
See their bold, androgynous designs
Golden Harvest, furnishing fabric, designed by Althea McNish for Hull Traders Ltd., 1960s, UK. Museum no. T.178-1989. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London