Paintings

The paintings collection includes more than 2,000 paintings in oil, tempera, and fresco, from 15th century to the present day. The collection is largely European, with particular strength in 19th-century British art. Highlights include Renaissance portraits by Botticelli and Tintoretto, biblical and classical scenes by Jan Brueghel the Elder and Angelica Kauffman, important landscapes by John Constable and J. M. W. Turner, iconic paintings by Pre-Raphaelite Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Impressionist Edgar Degas, as well as contemporary artists including Kehinde Wiley.

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Paintings have been part of the V&A's collections and displays since its founding. Collectors in the 19th century made large donations of paintings. Since then, the collection and its scope has grown significantly. Today our paintings connect with our collections of architecture, fashion, ceramics, silver and much more, and can be found on display in every part of the museum.

Collection highlights

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Header image:

The Painter's Two Daughters, oil painting, by Thomas Gainsborough, about 1758. Museum no. F.9 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London