Who collects?

Part of a museum curator’s job is to assess if new objects should be added to the collection, a decision that can create a new collecting focus or spark fresh ways of working. In 1857, the V&A appointed its first curator, John Charles Robinson, who developed the Italian Renaissance sculpture collection. The Circulation Department was set up around this time to collect contemporary design, which were toured around the country. More recently in 2011, the V&A appointed its first Contemporary Middle East Curator to embed art and design from the region in the collection.

Written by: Serenella Sessini, Assistant Curator of V&A East Storehouse
Published: May 2025

Working Museum