“Bowie was a pioneering multi-disciplinary creative, musician, actor, writer, performer, and cultural icon working in a way many young creatives move fluidly across disciplines today," said Dr Madeleine Haddon, Curator, V&A East. "He was fascinated by the modern musical form and the 18th century as a threshold of modernity, shaped by the Enlightenment, advances in the arts, science, and philosophy. His plans for The Spectator reveal his continual drive to experiment with boundary-pushing ideas and creative forms."
The David Bowie archive consists of more than 90,000 objects tracing Bowie’s creative processes including 414 costumes and accessories, around 150 musical instruments, 187 awards, life masks, posters, Bowie’s desk, props and scenery for concerts, and fan mail and art. Much of the paper-based material is made up of photographic prints, negatives and transparencies, numbering over 70,000 items.
