Polska! A History of Polish Collecting and Display at the V&A Museum
Discover highlights from the V&A’s Polish collections with curator Zorian Clayton.
The Victoria and Albert Museum has a rich history of collecting and presenting Polish culture. In this talk, Zorian Clayton will introduce some of the museum’s most significant Polish objects — from Renaissance treasures displayed in the galleries to a remarkable archive of 20th-century graphic design.
The talk will explore the V&A’s exhibitions and collecting history connected with Poland, including folk art, book illustration, textiles, puppetry and, most recently, the acclaimed ‘Polish Posters Now!’ exhibition presented during London Design Festival 2025 in collaboration with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
This is a unique opportunity to hear directly from a V&A curator about the stories behind objects in one of the world’s leading museums.
The event will include a short introduction by Talking and Exploring and a discussion with the audience.
Image: The Soul of Poland by Edmund Dulac, 1917
Victoria and Albert Museum, Object number: E.3954-1934
About the speaker:
Zorian Clayton is Curator of Prints (1850–now) at the Victoria and Albert Museum. He curated ‘Polish Posters Now!’ (London Design Festival 2025), co-curated ‘Aubrey Beardsley: A Singular Prodigy’ (Japan, 2024–25) and ‘Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear’ (2022). He recently co-curated the poster exhibition ‘When Walls Talk’ for the House of European History in Brussels.
His publications include The Poster: A Visual History (2020, with Thames & Hudson), with a forthcoming publication on Toulouse-Lautrec (2027). From 2016 to 2026 he was also a programmer for the British Film Institute.
Event details:
Atrium, POSK Polish Social and Cultural Centre
Organised by Talking and Exploring in partnership with POSK.
Supported by PAFT – Polonia Aid Foundation Trust.
Media Patronage: Londynek.net
