London’s V&A wins Museum of the Year award

London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) was awarded the Art Fund’s £100,000 prize and named the UK’s Museum of the Year last night (6 July). The award was presented by the Duchess of Cambridge at a ceremony held in the Natural History Museum’s great central hall.

The V&A was picked from five finalists. The others on the shortlist were:

Arnolfini, Bristol
Bethlem Museum of the Mind, London
Jupiter Artland, West Lothian
York Art Gallery, Yorkshire

This success has been largely due to a major gallery restoration project and sell-out exhibitions such as Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, in celebration of the innovative designer who died in 2010, which attracted a record-breaking 493,043 visitors from 87 countries.

Its 2013 hit David Bowie Is retrospective, which embarked on a global tour after its London run, notched up its millionth visitor in Paris in May.

Other highlights have included a major show of Indian textiles and a worldwide touring programme for the V&A’s Museum of Childhood.