Wellcome Collection exhibitions

Wellcome Collection exhibitions
Name	Wellcome Collection exhibitions
Established	2007
Location	London
Type	Museum exhibitions
Director	Wellcome Trust

Wellcome Collection exhibitions Wellcome Collection exhibitions present displays that intersect science and medicine with art and culture through objects, archives and commissions. Located in London, the exhibitions program is curated by staff from the Wellcome Trust to explore histories and contemporary debates related to health, disease and human experience. The programme has collaborated with institutions including the British Museum, Tate Modern, Victoria and Albert Museum, National Portrait Gallery and Science Museum.

History of exhibitions

From its origins linked to the collections of Sir Henry Wellcome and the Wellcome Trust, the exhibitions programme evolved alongside developments at institutions such as the British Library, Natural History Museum and Imperial College London. Early displays built on holdings from the Wellcome Library and object collections assembled by Henry Wellcome to create narratives comparable to those in exhibitions at the Museum of London and Royal College of Physicians. Over time the programme has responded to public debates shaped by events like the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the Spanish flu pandemic, and policy discussions influenced by the NHS and inquiries such as the Shipman Inquiry. Partnerships with venues including Royal Academy of Arts and exhibitions exchanges with the Wellcome Institute and Wellcome Collection’s peers in Europe and North America further broadened reach.

Exhibition themes and curatorial approach

Curators draw upon archives from the Wellcome Library, manuscripts linked to Florence Nightingale, artifacts from the collection of John Hunter, and prints by artists associated with the Tate Britain. Themes have included the history of psychiatry as debated in panels featuring institutions like the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience and exhibition scholarship that references the collections at Harvard Medical School, Yale University and the Smithsonian Institution. The curatorial approach emphasizes cross-disciplinary dialogues with collaborators such as the Royal Society, British Medical Association and Doctors Without Borders, and integrates materials from the Science Museum Group and the National Archives. Projects have commissioned artists and writers familiar to audiences of the Serpentine Galleries, Southbank Centre and the Barbican Centre.

Notable past exhibitions

Past highlights included exhibitions that juxtaposed specimens from the Hunterian Museum with contemporary artworks shown at venues like Tate Modern and commissions referencing the work of Sigmund Freud, Louis Pasteur, Alexander Fleming and Edward Jenner. Major displays brought together letters from figures such as Charles Darwin and Robert Koch, surgical instruments associated with Joseph Lister, and photographs by practitioners connected to the Royal Photographic Society. Other notable shows examined reproductive histories alongside materials from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and staged projects in conversation with writers associated with the Royal Society of Literature and broadcasters from the BBC.

Temporary and touring exhibitions

Temporary exhibitions have toured to partner venues including the Science Museum, MuseumsQuartier Vienna, Musée d'Orsay, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art and regional museums such as the Manchester Museum and People's History Museum. Touring programmes have collaborated with research centers like Wellcome Sanger Institute and universities such as University College London, King's College London and University of Oxford to present material in contexts linked to conferences at the Royal Society and assemblies connected to the World Health Organization. Loan agreements have involved institutions like the British Library, National Portrait Gallery and Natural History Museum.

Exhibition spaces and design

Exhibition spaces have been developed with architects and designers who have worked on projects for Zaha Hadid Architects, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, Grimshaw Architects and set designers with credits at the Royal Opera House and National Theatre. Galleries accommodate object cases comparable to those used by the Victoria and Albert Museum and climate-control standards aligned with the ICOM guidelines and conservation practice at the British Museum. Production teams have included lighting specialists who previously worked for the Tate Modern and AV professionals with credits at Channel 4 and National Geographic.

Audience engagement and education

Education programmes connect with schools via curriculum links to syllabuses from exam boards such as AQA, Edexcel and OCR, and with universities including Imperial College London, King's College London and University of Cambridge. Public engagement draws on partnerships with organizations like the Royal Institution, Wellcome Collection's reading rooms contributors, and media collaborations with the BBC and The Guardian. Outreach includes workshops for clinicians from the British Medical Association and panels featuring researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Francis Crick Institute and UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health.

Category:Museums in London