David Bowie‘s archive at London’s V&A East Storehouse is set to go on tour across the UK.
The David Bowie Centre opened at the new working store and visitor attraction at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford last autumn. It comprises over 90,000 of the late star’s possessions, as well as curated exhibitions of objects by Bowie collaborator Nile Rodgers and super-fans The Last Dinner Party.
Today (Wednesday July 1), it has been announced that a new national tour will bring highlights from the V&A’s Bowie archive to venues across the UK over multiple years.
More than 100 pieces from the collection are to go on show in Dundee, Blackpool, Hull, County Durham, Bristol and beyond for ‘David Bowie: On Tour’. The trek will give fans the only opportunity to see such a range of items from the icon’s personal archive up close, outside of London’s V&A East Storehouse.
Visitors can expect a “rare glimpse into David Bowie’s creative process and how he shaped his iconic image, music, video, TV and film work”, per a press release.
Highlights include Bowie’s legendary costumes, musical instruments, career-spanning photography, and some never-before-seen items such as Polaroids for make-up and costume fittings.
There’ll also be a Ziggy Stardust-era acoustic guitar, unrealised projects, handwritten lyrics, performance notes and costumes from Bowie’s final albums, ‘The Next Day’ and ‘Blackstar’.
The forthcoming tour is due to kick off at the V&A Dundee, where it’ll feature from November 2026 to February 2027.
Next up, the archive will head to Showtown in Blackpool (June to September 2027), the Bowes Museum in County Durham (October 2027 to January 2028), the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull (February to May 2028), and Bristol Museum and Art Gallery (June to September 2028).
Further venues are to be announced in due course, according to organisers.
David Bowie’s archive travelling to venues across the UK for the V&A’s David Bowie: On Tour from November 2026. CREDIT: © David Parry/PA Media Assignments
The touring archive will be made up of four sections: ‘Bowie Through A Lens’ (photography), ‘All The Somebody People’ (live performances and studio sessions), ‘Hooked To The Silver Screen’ (Bowie’s music videos and his work in film and TV), and ‘I Can’t Give Everything Away’ (exploring his interest in time, documenting his process and legacy).
“‘David Bowie: On Tour’ marks the first time highlights from David Bowie’s archive have been shared on this scale across the UK, outside of London, bringing Bowie’s story and creative imagination to new audiences across the country,” a description reads.
“This touring programme is part of the V&A’s commitment to widening access to its collections, ensuring audiences across the UK can experience their national collections where they live.”
It adds: “Across four sections, ‘David Bowie: On Tour’ takes audiences behind the scenes into Bowie’s creative process, exploring how he created his ever-evolving image, music and screen work.”
Sir Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A, said: “‘David Bowie: On Tour’ is a landmark national partnership for the V&A, bringing highlights from David Bowie’s extraordinary archive to audiences across the UK for the first time.
“Working with our colleagues in museums and venues nationwide, we’re opening up Bowie’s story in the places connected to his life and legacy, ensuring people across the country can experience these remarkable objects where they live, and be inspired by his enduring creativity.”
Harriet Reed, Curator of Contemporary Performance at the V&A, said: “David Bowie’s archive reveals an artist in constant motion – a restless, forward-looking mind at work beyond the music and images we know.
“From fan art and his first instrument to unrealised projects, handwritten notes and unseen sketches, David Bowie: On Tour brings visitors up close to the ideas behind his work – including items from ‘The Next Day’ and ‘★’ (‘Blackstar’) never shown before – offering new insight into how his creativity took shape.
“It’s a rare chance to step inside Bowie’s imagination, and experience the curiosity and daring that defined his life’s work.”
Leonie Bell, Director, V&A Dundee, said: “We couldn’t be happier about ‘David Bowie: On Tour’ opening at V&A Dundee in Scotland as the first location in the UK […] This is a thrilling opportunity for fans to get up close with never-before-seen objects from Bowie’s personal archive and to celebrate his remarkable story and extraordinary creative imagination.”
Chairman of the Blackpool Heritage and Museum Trust, which operates Showtown, Spencer Phillips, commented: “This is a hugely significant announcement for Showtown and for Blackpool as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of David Bowie’s live performance in the resort.
“This exciting new collaboration with the V&A demonstrates a national confidence in our award-winning museum and offers North West visitors an extraordinary chance to experience the genius of Bowie and his incredible creative legacy.”
The David Bowie Centre continues the V&A’s collaboration following the main museum’s acclaimed ‘David Bowie Is’ exhibition between 2013 and 2018.
“It’s really a very different experience from the ‘David Bowie Is’ exhibition,” curator Dr Madeleine Haddon told NME last year. “First and foremost is the size – this is a smaller and more intimate experience. It’s not an exhibition, it’s getting behind the scenes to experience a working archive.”
“That fits within the broader mission of the V&A Storehouse, where we have 250,000 objects from our collection that you can now have access to. We’re really peeling back the layers of the museum and how and why we do things here.”
She added: “Bowie is very unique from the perspective of what a polymath he was. There aren’t many pop culture figures that worked so expansively across so many genres. The archive is not only a testament to Bowie’s music, but to all his creative practices. That’s a really important narrative for us, especially in a museum like the V&A.
“You’d also struggle to find one who saved everything. Not many pop culture figures have 90,000 objects they could donate to a museum. We have objects from the beginning of his career through to the end. He kept everything. It’ll be while before we find someone else like him to do this with.”
Visitors can book free one-to-one appointments with items from David Bowie’s archive through the V&A’s Order an Object and Archives Appointment services, and also visit the David Bowie Centre – the archive’s permanent home – at V&A East Storehouse. Find more information here.
The wider Storehouse includes around 500,000 works, including the Glastonbury Festival archives, costumes from PJ Harvey and Elton John, designer couture, vintage shirts, Samurai swords, among many other items. The collection also houses over 100 curated mini-displays.
