When the David Bowie Centre opens its doors on September 13, 2025, visitors will gain unprecedented access to over 90,000 items chronicling the legendary artist’s career spanning from the 1960s until his death in 2016. The thorough collection, housed at the V&A East Storehouse in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, features handwritten lyrics, original costumes, instruments, album art, and awards that have never before been publicly displayed.
The free-admission archive reveals intimate writings and unrealized projects that illuminate Bowie’s creative process across his various personas, including Ziggy Stardust and the Thin White Duke. Notable artifacts include handwritten lyrics to “Fame” (1975), “Heroes” (1977), and “Ashes to Ashes” (1980), alongside examples of his “cut-up” writing method influenced by William Burroughs. Iconic stage costumes designed by Freddie Burretti and Kansai Yamamoto stand as evidence of Bowie’s visual transformations throughout his career. The collection also features the original Union Jack coat designed by McQueen that became an emblematic part of Bowie’s visual identity.
While the V&A East Storehouse itself opens in spring 2024, the specialized Bowie Centre has been organized into three distinct zones: curated displays, audiovisual installations, and quiet study spaces where researchers can examine materials by appointment. This arrangement allows visitors to engage with Bowie’s artistic evolution through multiple sensory experiences. The centre will be part of a larger cultural development that includes the V&A East Museum which will open in spring 2026.
The acquisition was made possible through funding from the David Bowie Estate, the Blavatnik Family Foundation, and Warner Music Group, whose £10 million donation supports conservation efforts and ongoing research. This partnership guarantees permanent public access to a collection that illustrates Bowie’s significant impact on fashion, art, and cultural movements. Musicians today can learn valuable lessons about diverse income streams from Bowie’s career, which masterfully combined album sales, memorable live performances, merchandising, and lucrative licensing deals. Aspiring artists can draw inspiration from Bowie’s dedication to personal branding throughout his career, as he consistently reinvented his image while maintaining his artistic integrity.
Beyond static displays, the Centre will host workshops, talks, and educational programming that contextualize Bowie’s role as an innovator and connector within the creative community. As the centerpiece of East London’s expanding cultural infrastructure, the David Bowie Centre promises to preserve the legacy of an artist who continuously reinvented himself while redefining the boundaries between music, fashion, and performance art.
