Victoria and Albert Museum

Money can buy a lot of things, but it can’t buy taste. Luckily, Sir Elton John would probably know his art from his elbow even if he hadn’t become one of the world’s biggest, richest megastars. For decades now, he has been building a world class collection of photography with his partner David Furnish. It’s been shown all over the world, even at the Tate in 2017, and now it’s the V&A’s turn.  The exhibition is absolutely rammed full of iconic images by some of the most important names in photography: Diane Arbus, Robert Mapplethorpe, Juergen Teller, William Egglestone and on and on. Like you’d expect from a megastar, it’s pretty dazzling. The show is grouped into big overarching themes: fashion, reportage, desire, etc. The fashion bit runs the gamut from experimental Harry Callahan cut-outs to stark Irving Penn minimalist luxury via debauched guy Bourdin naughtiness and a beautifully tasteless portrait of Sir Elton’s bejewelled hands by Mario Testino. Style, glamour, cheekbones, cocaine; that’s fashion for ya.  Things get a little grittier in the celebrity section. There are famous images of Joni Mitchell, Ray Charles,Frank Sinatra, and three incredible photos of Miles Davis’s hands by Irving Penn. But this is where the cracks start to appear. Images of tragic figures are everywhere; Marilyn Monroe forlorn and lost, Chet Baker broken by drug abuse, James Dean beautiful and young, but not for long. Celebrity is a curse, a dangerous burden that can crush you just as readily as

Few have worked with as many designers, publications and photographers in the fashion industry as model and activist, the legendary Naomi Campbell. And now, the V&A has created a dazzling exhibition to delve into this icon’s 40-year career, which she has collaborated with. Campbell’s haute couture wardrobe, as well as loans from designer archives and the V&A’s own collection, will be on display, and there’s a photography installation curated by Edward Enninful OBE, former editor of British Vogue.

The V&A is home to an extensive collection of Islamic art (which the institution began collecting way back in the 1850s) but this prestigious award, which was established in 2009, celebrates contemporary art and design inspired by Islamic tradition. It’s open to designers from any age group or from any ethnic, religious or cultural background and the finalists’ work (selected by a jury) will be displayed in this winter exhibition. Previous winners include artist Mehdi Moutashar and architect Marina Tabassam, who won Jameel Prize 5, and Jameel Prize 4 was won by Ghulum Mohammad for his works of paper collage. Film, video, installation and new tech are the mediums that are focussed on, but that could be anything from animation to virtual reality – pretty exciting, right?