London’s V&A museum announced that it had secured the archive of David Bowie, acquiring more than 80,000 items spanning his career. It will be made available to the public from 2025. The news follows the presentation of Bowie Is initiated and curated by the V&A ten years earlier.

The David Bowie Centre for the Study of Performing Arts will be hosted at its V&A East Storehouse in east London, where fans, school pupils and researchers will be able to gain insight into the pioneering British singer-songwriter’s creative process.

“It has insights into the creative process behind so many of his music videos, his songs, his stage shows, his theatre shows. With David’s life’s work becoming part of the UK’s national collections, he takes his rightful place amongst many other cultural icons and artistic geniuses,” a spokesperson from the David Bowie Estate, said in the V&A statement about the acquisition. What is extraordinary about the legacy is that this, we envision, will help inspire the next generation of creative pioneers and practitioners,” Kate Bailey, curator said.

The archives comprises more than 70,000 pictures, prints, slides, negatives, large format transparencies and contact sheets taken by famed photographers including Terry O’Neill and Helmut Newton alongside costumes, stage sets, paintings and artefacts.