V&A South Kensington: Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires
A major UK-first exhibition exploring 1,600 years of extraordinary art and design, offering a compelling new perspective on a city defined by artistic excellence across more than a millennium.
Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires
V&A South Kensington, London, 07 November 2026 - 09 May 2027
'Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires explores 1,600 years of extraordinary artistic production in one of the world’s most influential cities. Spanning AD 330 to 1922, it brings together remarkable works of art, design and architecture to reveal the enduring creative legacy of an imperial capital that shaped the Mediterranean world and far beyond.
The city once called Constantinople and now called Istanbul was the imperial and religious capital at the heart of two successive empires: the Byzantine (AD 330 – 1453) and the Ottoman (1453 – 1922), and the exhibition explores their distinct yet connected traditions of art and design, built across 16 centuries. It follows changes in patronage and production that reflect the ups and downs of the city’s history, and the lasting impact its creative output had in the Christian and Islamic worlds.
The exhibition showcases over 200 objects across four main sections, including rarely seen decorative arts, such as fine silks and textiles (including historical dress), ceramic tiles, mosaics and tableware, precious metalwork and jewellery, as well as sculpture and architectural furnishings, works on paper, manuscripts and paintings.'
- V&A South Kensington
For more information on the exhibition see the V&A website.
