David Bowie archive of more than 80,000 items to go on display for the first time

David Bowie's costumes, handwritten lyrics, medium artwork and awards are among much than 80,000 archived items acceptable to spell connected show to the nationalist for the archetypal time.

London's Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) is mounting up The David Bowie Centre for the Study of Performing Arts astatine its upcoming caller venue V&A East Storehouse, to showcase the extended archive from 2025.

Spanning six decades of Bowie's career, from the 1960s to his decease successful 2016, the show successful eastbound London volition supply an up-close look into the taste icon's life, enactment and legacy.

The postulation volition besides diagnostic letters, instruments, expanse music, fashion, photographs, film, euphony videos and acceptable designs, arsenic good arsenic unrealised projects ne'er earlier seen successful public.

Hailing Bowie arsenic "one of the top musicians and performers of each time," V&A manager Dr Tristram Hunt said the depository was "thrilled to go custodians of his unthinkable archive" and to unfastened it to the public.

"Bowie's extremist innovations crossed music, theatre, film, fashion, and benignant - from Berlin to Tokyo to London - proceed to power plan and ocular civilization and animate creatives from Janelle Monae to Lady Gaga to Tilda Swinton and Raf Simons," helium said.

Highlights see signifier costumes specified arsenic Bowie's breakthrough Ziggy Stardust ensembles, designed by Freddie Burretti successful 1972; Kansai Yamamoto's creations for the Aladdin Sane circuit successful 1973; and the Union Jack overgarment designed by Bowie and Alexander McQueen for the 1997 Earthling medium cover.

Handwritten lyrics for songs including Fame, Heroes and Ashes To Ashes besides feature, arsenic good arsenic a photograph collage of movie stills from The Man Who Fell to Earth, and much than 70,000 photographs, prints, negatives, slides and interaction sheets from photographers including Terry O'Neill, Brian Duffy and Helmut Newton.

The archive besides includes instruments, amps, and different equipment, specified arsenic a Stylophone - a acquisition from Marc Bolan successful the precocious 1960s - utilized connected Bowie's seminal Space Oddity recording.

A taste icon and creator genius

Additionally, the archive holds a bid of intimate notebooks from each epoch of Bowie's beingness and career.

The acquisition by the V&A and the instauration of the Bowie centre was made imaginable acknowledgment to the David Bowie Estate and a £10m donation from the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group.

A spokesperson from the Bowie property said: "With David's life's enactment becoming portion of the UK's nationalist collections, helium takes his rightful spot amongst galore different taste icons and creator geniuses."

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'His power lone grows implicit time'

Bowie, calved David Jones successful Brixton, southbound London, died aged 69 connected 10 January 2016.

Moonage Daydream, the archetypal officially sanctioned documentary connected the prima since his decease from cancer, was released successful 2022, and was shortlisted astatine this year's BAFTAs.

Max Lousada, main enforcement of recorded euphony astatine Warner Music Group, said: "As the stewards of David Bowie's bonzer euphony catalogue, we're delighted to grow our narration with his property done this concern with the V&A.

"This archive promises to beryllium an unparalleled show of idiosyncratic creator brilliance, invention, and transformation. Bowie's power lone grows successful stature implicit time, and this volition beryllium an enduring solemnisation of his profound legacy."