In which decade was this drag queen photographed? Find out in the Art Fund museum of the year quiz

1. 

   In which decade did artist Mariette Pathy Allen capture this photograph, Sunday Morning During a Drag Ball, in New York?

   1. 1920s

   2. 1950s

   3. 1980s

   4. 2020s

2. 

   Who created this theatre stage backcloth for the Ballets Russes’ 1926 revival of The Firebird?

   1. Pablo Picasso

   2. Léon Bakst

   3. Natalia Goncharova

   4. Henri Matisse

3. 

   Who played this drum kit?

   1. Keith Moon

   2. Phil Collins

   3. Ringo Starr

   4. Topper Headon

4. 

   Which famous female architect designed these sculptural shoes (made in 2013) in collaboration with footwear brand United Nude?

   1. Elizabeth Diller

   2. Zaha Hadid

   3. Alison Smithson

   4. Lina Ghotmeh

5. 

   In what century was the Agra Colonnade made for the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s Red Fort at Agra in India?

   1. 15th century

   2. 16th century

   3. 17th century

   4. 18th century

6. 

   Which 1986 film starring David Bowie featured this crystal ball?

   1. Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence

   2. The Man Who Fell to Earth

   3. Everybody Loves Sunshine

   4. Labyrinth

7. 

   Who wore this Oliver Messel-designed headdress to play Titania in the Old Vic’s 1937 production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream?

   1. Greta Garbo

   2. Vivien Leigh

   3. Katharine Hepburn

   4. Gracie Fields

8. 

   What is the main material that artist and jewellery designer Sanaa Gateja used to create his large-scale 2022 wall hanging Ripe and Ready?

   1. Paper beads

   2. Gemstones

   3. Drawing pins

   4. Buttons

9. 

   How many individual parts make up the 15th-century Torrijos Ceiling?

   1. One

   2. Four

   3. 60

   4. 160

10. What’s the most popular object ordered by visitors through V&A East Storehouse’s Order an Object service?

    1. 

       The Beggar's Opera print by William Hogarth

    2. 

       David Bowie’s 50th birthday outfit, designed with Alexander McQueen

    3. 

       A 1954 Cristobal Balenciaga couture dress

    4. 

       Adam Ant’s Prince Charming stage costume

11. 

    What material is this 13th century Jain carved sculpture made from?

    1. Marble

    2. Teak

    3. Sandstone

    4. Concrete

12. 

    Which activist and fashion designer first opened a shop in London with Malcolm McLaren before founding their own fashion label and designing this corset?

    1. Bella Freud

    2. Vivienne Westwood

    3. Alexander McQueen

    4. Rick Owens

13. 

    Approximately how many tonnes does this section of the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate weigh?

    1. One tonne

    2. Five tonnes

    3. 11 tonnes

    4. 20 tonnes

14. 

    Can you guess what this 18th-century object was used for?

    1. As a mirror

    2. To magnify images

    3. To create X-rays

    4. As a fireplace guard

15. 

    Who designed this model for the London 2012 Games Olympic cauldron?

    1. Faye Toogood

    2. Thomas Heatherwick

    3. Norman Foster

    4. Anish Kapoor

Solutions

1:C - Correct. Mariette Pathy Allen took this photograph in New York in 1984. The photograph centres Angie Xtravaganza (1964-1993), a well-known performer and activist in New York City's LGBTQ+ ballroom culture. Mariette Pathy Allen has been photographing trans communities for around half a century and is considered one of the most significant allies in centring positive awareness around gender diversity in her work. Her work is included in the LGBTQ+ new collecting display at V&A East Storehouse, highlighting a series of recently acquired works representing a broad spectrum of identities. , 2:C - Correct. The travelling dance company the Ballets Russes commissioned experimental artist Goncharova to create this backdrop for the final scene of their 1926 revival of The Firebird. Goncharova was inspired by folklore and religious icons for this backdrop, which was gifted to the V&A in 1976. At 1024cm x 1571cm, this monumental work is one of the largest textiles in the V&A’s collection, and on show in a specially created gallery for large-scale works at V&A East Storehouse. , 3:A - Correct. This drumkit belonged to The Who’s celebrated drummer Keith Moon, widely regarded as one of the most influential drummers in rock music history. The kit dates from between late 1966 and early 1967 and was gifted to the V&A in 1986 from the Keith Moon Estate. It is currently on display at V&A East Storehouse. , 4:B - Correct. These shoes were designed by Dame Zaha Hadid (1950-2016), in collaboration with footwear brand United Nude’s creative director Rem D Koolhaas. Together they created a sculptural cantilever system that allows for an unsupported 16cm heel. Iraqi-born, British-based architect Hadid founded her practice in London in 1990, creating designs characterised by bold, visionary forms. Her buildings include the London Olympic Aquatics Centre in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (2012), the Maxxi Museum in Rome (2010) and the Rosenthal Centre for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati (2003). During her career, Hadid experimented with fashion, collaborating with brands including Louis Vuitton, Lacoste and Brazilian shoe brand Melissa., 5:C - Correct. The Agra Colonnade was built between 1630-1640 for the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, who also commissioned the Taj Mahal. Made of marble and inlaid hardstones, it once stood outside a bathhouse in Agra Fort, India. Why, when and by whom it was dismantled is unknown. The colonnade was discovered in pieces in the fort by excavation workers in 1885. Formed of 30 individual parts, it’s on display for the first time since the 1950s, following 3,000 hours of meticulous conservation. , 6:D - Correct. This crystal ball prop and stand was used in the 1986 film Labyrinth, which starred David Bowie. The stand is engraved with swirling patterns, two small faces and an inscription reading 'TO DAVID LABYRINTH'. The items are part of the David Bowie Archive, now housed at V&A East Storehouse, and available for 1:1 bookings through its Order an Object service. , 7:B - Correct. This headdress by British artist and theatre designer Oliver Messel was worn by Vivien Leigh as Titania in Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Tyrone Guthrie at the Old Vic in 1937. Messel saw the theatre as heightened realism, and this headdress incorporates flowers made from metallic paper, chandelier drops, metal discs and cellophane to subtly convey the fantasy of the fairy queen and her steely character. Messel was a good friend of Leigh’s and kept this headdress as a prized possession, storing it in a box that he painted himself in his characteristic lavish and romantic style. , 8:A - This wall hanging is made of paper beads sewn on to bark cloth. It was created by Ugandan artist and jewellery designer, Sanaa Gateja. Through his works, Gateja highlights the significance of beads in African history from their importance in Egyptian culture, the scale of trading history, their use as a form of money, adornment and as an accessory to spiritual practices. Ripe and Ready joined the V&A’s collection in 2023 and is on display at V&A East Storehouse. , 9:D - Correct. Built in 1490, and made up of 160 individual parts, the Torrijos Ceiling is an ornate carved ceiling from a now lost palace in Toledo, Spain. Its design reveals the Islamic influence on craft in medieval Spain, and includes an Arabic inscription, which translates to "you drink from happiness", suggesting the original room below it was used for entertaining. The ceiling underwent 5,000 hours of conservation work before the V&A’s technical services team installed it at V&A East Storehouse. One of the team’s most complex installations to-date, putting the ceiling back together was much like solving a giant jigsaw puzzle. , 10:B - Correct. This frockcoat designed by Alexander McQueen and David Bowie for Bowie’s 50th Birthday Concert in 1997 is the most ordered object as part of V&A East Storehouse’s revolutionary Order an Object service – it has been ordered 210 times to-date. With access to over half a million creative works at V&A East Storehouse – from fashion and photography to ceramics, furniture, musical instruments and pop culture – visitors can browse online, select up to five items, and book an Order an Object viewing at a time that suits them to see objects up-close., 11:C - Correct. This 13th-century carved sculpture is made from sandstone. It depicts a figure of a tirthankara, a saviour or supreme spiritual teacher in Jainism, who has succeeded in crossing over life’s stream of rebirths and has made a path for others to follow. This may be a representation of the first tirthankara, Rsabhanatha, who is distinguished by two locks of hair that fall either side of his long-lobed ears on to his shoulders., 12:B - Correct. Dame Vivienne Westwood designed this corset, which includes a François Boucher print, as part of her spring/summer 1990 Portrait collection. It’s part of the V&A’s fashion collection – the largest and most comprehensive collection of dress in the world., 13:C - Correct. This section of Robin Hood Gardens, a now demolished social housing estate in east London designed by architects Alison and Peter Smithson, weighs approximately 11 tonnes. Residents lived on the estate from 1972 until 2024. After its partial demolition in 2017, the V&A collected a section of the west block to preserve it as a vision of architecture centred on community. As one of the largest objects in the V&A’s collection, it underwent 1,500 hours of conservation. It was the first object installed at V&A East Storehouse, taking the technical services team over 55 hours to install all 67 individual parts., 14:B - Correct. This mahogany carved Zograscope was made in England between 1780 and 1800 and was used to magnify images. It was previously mistakenly thought to have been a shaving mirror, before it was identified by the V&A as a Zograscope in the 1950s. , 15:B - Correct. Thomas Heatherwick and the Heatherwick Studio were commissioned to design the Olympic Cauldron for the London 2012 Games by London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and Danny Boyle, artistic director of the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Designed as a moment not just an object, the cauldron created a memorable focal point during the Opening Ceremony, as 204 individually sculpted copper petals – each representing a participating country – were brought into the London Stadium during the athletes’ parade. Assembled into a radiating pattern at the heart of the growing crowd of athletes, the cauldron was ignited by the Olympic torch.

Scores

1. 12 and above.

   You're a true expert when it comes to the world of design. Take the rest of the day off!

2. 8 and above.

   A solid result – almost as solid as the Torrijos Ceiling.

3. 0 and above.

   What the frock(coat), this is terrible. But the only way is up!

4. 4 and above.

   Your knowledge has more holes than a Philippe Starck-designed colander.