Modernising the V&A: A study of transatlantic exchanges in museum development (1900-1957)

This thesis explores the transformative journey of London's Victoria and Albert Museum from 1900 to 1957 within the context of transatlantic museum exchange. Addressing a significant gap in the scholarly literature, it challenges the prevailing notion that the V&A’s post-World War II gallery redesign merely emulated the white cube model associated with New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Instead, the thesis uncovers a more complex narrative of reciprocal influences, highlighting the V&A’s agency and synthesis of a broader range of transatlantic influences.

Grounded in archival analysis, case studies, and scholarly literature, the thesis is structured in three parts. Part 1 compares the V&A’s architectural and pedagogical shifts between 1900 and 1918, with parallel developments at leading American institutions, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Part 2 examines how interwar geopolitical and economic shifts prompted the V&A to study innovative American models, such as Harvard’s Fogg Museum. Building on these insights, Part 3 re-evaluates the V&A’s post-war gallery redesign within the broader trajectory of museum evolution, challenging the narrative of MoMA’s predominance to foreground the V&A’s active role.

Over this the 50-year period, the study offers fresh perspectives on the V&A’s role, highlighting the complex interplay of institutional strategies, individual professionals, and the transatlantic flow of ideas that defined the modern museum. This re-evaluation of the V&A’s role significantly advances understanding of 20th-century museum history.