V&A Dundee, Scotland’s first design museum, will open to the public on Saturday 15 September 2018.

Designed by internationally acclaimed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, V&A Dundee stands at the centre of the £1 billion transformation of the Dundee waterfront, once part of the city’s docklands. With its complex geometry, inspired by the dramatic cliffs along the east coast of Scotland, it stretches out into the River Tay – a new landmark reconnecting the city with its historic waterfront, and a major new cultural development for Scotland and the UK.

The new museum will feature permanent galleries of Scottish design, as well as an ambitious international programme of changing exhibitions showcasing the very best of design from around the world.

At the heart of V&A Dundee, the Scottish Design Galleries will tell the story of Scotland’s exceptional design heritage. Curated in collaboration with the V&A, these galleries will be free to enter and will feature around 300 exhibits drawn from the remarkable collections of the V&A, as well as from museums and private collections across Scotland and the world, covering architecture, ceramics, engineering, fashion, furniture, healthcare, jewellery, textiles, videogame design and more.

At the centre of these galleries will stand Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s magnificent Oak Room. The 13.5-metre-long panelled room was originally designed for Miss Cranston’s Ingram Street tearooms in Glasgow in 1907, before being saved – and placed in storage in hundreds of pieces – almost 50 years ago. Other key objects in the Scottish Design Galleries will include a beautifully decorated 15th century Book of Hours, a spectacular Cartier ‘Valkyrie’ diamond tiara and original Beano artworks from Dundee publishers DC Thomson.

The opening exhibition, Ocean Liners: Speed and Style, will explore the designs behind a mode of transport that came to represent the status of nations and the aspirations of millions. The show, organised by the V&A and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, USA, is the first to explore the design and cultural impact of the ocean liner on an international scale.

The temporary exhibitions and permanent galleries will be complemented by new commissions and installations showcasing emerging design talent. The museum will also include dynamic learning spaces, a design residency studio where designers will share work-in-progress with visitors, a multi-purpose auditorium for conferences and a restaurant with spectacular views over RRS Discovery and the River Tay.

Philip Long, Director of V&A Dundee, said: “After many years of planning for V&A Dundee, we are absolutely thrilled to announce the date of the new museum’s opening. In just eight months we will be opening the doors and welcoming our first visitors. V&A Dundee is set to be a vital new cultural organisation for Dundee, the UK and beyond, helping to change understanding of just how important design and creativity are to people’s lives. We are enormously grateful to all our supporters for helping to make this happen.”

Janet Redler, Chief Executive of Janet Redler Travel & Tourism, said: “We’re very excited about the opening of the new V&A Dundee, Scotland’s first museum dedicated to design. We are looking forward to including V&A Dundee in our tours to Scotland, as we know that visitors from all over the world will be eager to see the fabulous new building and to enjoy the many exciting exhibitions that are planned.”

If you would like to enjoy a visit to V&A Dundee when it opens in September, as part of a tailor-made tour of Scotland or the UK, please do contact our friendly team.