The adventures of Alice in Wonderland to be explored in new immersive V&A exhibition

1/5
Robert Dex @RobDexES15 July 2019

Visitors to the V&A will be going down a rabbit hole next year as the museum plans a show dedicated to the story of Alice in Wonderland.

First published in 1865 by Lewis Carroll, the surreal fairytale tells the story of seven-year-old Alice who follows a talking rabbit into an underground world populated by weird and wonderful characters.

The classic children’s tale has inspired dozens of stage shows and films including Damon Albarn’s 2015 National Theatre musical Wonder.land and Tim Burton’s 2010 film which starred Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter.

The exhibition, billed by the museum as “an immersive, mind-bending exploration” of the story, will include costumes from the 2011 Royal Ballet production which featured its former principal dancer Zenaida Yanowsky as a highly-strung Queen of Hearts, and original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel and early concept art for Walt Disney’s 1951 film adaptation. Senior curator Kate Bailey said the 350 exhibits would also feature film clips, photography and sculptures.

It will also look at the wide-ranging influence it has had on everything from Japanese fashions to Salvador Dali’s surrealist sketches.

Alice’s adventures and the story’s dreamlike atmosphere made it a popular source of inspiration for Sixties bands including Pink Floyd, while US acid-rockers Jefferson Airplane scored a global No1 with the song White Rabbit, which name-checked characters including Alice and the Red Queen.

Other exhibitions planned for next year include a major show dedicated to the art, design and culture of Iran and a celebration of the kimono and its place in the world, from the geishas of Kyoto to the catwalks of Europe.

Another show, called Bags!, will explore what the V&A called “the ultimate accessory” and take in everything from the humble rucksack to lavish Louis Vuitton luggage.

There will also be an exhibition of more than 200 renaissance water- colours with work by artists including Dürer, Holbein and Van Dyck.

Speaking at the launch of the museum’s annual review this morning, director Tristram Hunt predicted a “period of significant growth over the next four years” with the Museum of Childhood set to be relaunched in 2022 and V&A East, the museum’s outpost in Stratford, due to open across two sites in 2023.

He added: “Our vision for the V&A family of sites will build on the rich history of east London and reinvent how the world’s leading collection of art, design and performance will be enjoyed for years to come.”

The best exhibitions to see in London this summer

1/10

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in