V&A Dundee facts for kids

V&A Dundee

The museum and RRS Discovery in September 2018
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Established	15 September 2018 (2018-09-15)
Location	1 Riverside Esplanade, Dundee, Scotland
Type	Design museum
Visitors	1.7 million (2023)
Architect	Kengo Kuma
Owner	Design Dundee Ltd.

V&A Dundee is a special design museum in Dundee, Scotland. It first opened its doors on September 15, 2018. This museum is the first of its kind in Scotland. It is also the first Victoria and Albert Museum to be built outside of London. The V&A Dundee is also the first building in the United Kingdom designed by the famous architect Kengo Kuma.

History of V&A Dundee

The idea for a V&A museum in Dundee started at the University of Dundee in 2007. A person named Georgina Follett suggested it to the university's leader. Later, Joan Concannon, who worked for the university, presented the idea to Sir Mark Jones. He was the director of the Victoria and Albert Museum at the time. She explained how Dundee would be a great place for the museum. She also showed how it could help improve the city's waterfront area.

In 2010, a competition was held to choose the museum's design. The Japanese architect Kengo Kuma won this competition. His design was inspired by the amazing cliff edges found in eastern Scotland.

The museum was built where an old leisure centre used to be. Construction work began in April 2014. The museum was supposed to be finished in 2017. However, it was delayed and opened in 2018 instead. During building, a special wall was put in the water. This allowed part of the museum to extend over the River Tay. The outside of the building has 780 large concrete slabs. The whole project cost about £80.1 million to complete.

The V&A Dundee opened to the public on September 15, 2018. Before that, special previews for the media happened. The opening was celebrated with a big event called the 3D Festival. Famous music acts performed, and there was a light show and fireworks. The opening was even shown on TV. In its first week, the museum welcomed over 27,000 visitors. In just three weeks, it had 100,000 visitors.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, officially opened the museum. This private event took place on January 28, 2019. By March 30, 2019, the museum had reached its goal of 500,000 visitors. This happened six months earlier than expected. The museum temporarily closed on March 18, 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the V&A Dundee changed some of its historical displays. This was to better show Scotland's links to colonialism and slavery.

In September 2023, the museum celebrated its fifth birthday. It was announced that 1.7 million people had visited the V&A Dundee. The museum had also brought in £304 million for Scotland's economy. It added £109 million to Dundee's economy. A new permanent exhibition opened on September 15, 2023. It is called "Stories from the Building." This exhibit explores the museum's background and design. In January 2024, the museum announced a change. It would host only one major exhibition each year to save costs.

What You Can See at V&A Dundee

Temporary Exhibition Galleries

These galleries are where the museum holds its special, changing exhibitions. These shows are only there for a limited time.

Scottish Design Galleries

The Scottish Design Galleries show off amazing design work from all over Scotland. You can see things like fashion, buildings, fabrics, and even comic books. Theatre and pantomime designs are also on display.

Stories from the Building

This is a new permanent exhibition on the ground floor. It opened as part of the museum's fifth anniversary. It has items from when the museum was built. There is also a model of the museum. An interactive display shows objects used during construction.

The Oak Room

Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed the Oak Room. It was finished in 1908. It was made for a tearoom in Glasgow. This large, two-story room is now part of the Scottish Design Gallery. The Oak Room was put back together from over 700 original pieces. These pieces had been stored for more than 50 years. It took 16 months to install the room. The cost to fix and preserve it was £1.3 million.

Museum Directors

Images for kids

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  V&A Dundee under construction in 2017

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  A close-up view of the building from the west

See Also

• List of design museums
• Victoria and Albert Museum § Partnerships
• List of art museums and galleries in Scotland