Diva at the V&A, London

A major new exhibition called DIVA will open this month at the V&A, designed to celebrate the extraordinary power and creativity of iconic performers who have made their voices heard from the 19th century to today.

The exhibition will showcase over 250 objects drawn from the V&A collection and loans from across the world, spanning fashion, photography, design, costumes, music, and live performance. Through theatrical staging and a sonic headset experience, DIVA will celebrate the powerful and personal stories of creativity, ambition, and resilience of some the best- known divas, from opera goddesses and silent movie stars to sirens of the big screen and today’s global megastars. The exhibition also looks at how the performer has intersected with society and driven change through their platform and profile for social good and political change, including global civil rights and feminism. Image above: Cher, Elton John and Diana Ross at Rock Awards Santa Monica Civic Auditorium 1975; Various Locations; Mark Sullivan 70’s Rock Archive Photo: Mark Sullivan/Contour by Getty Images – reproduced by kind permission of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London