Plum from the series Face by Huang Yan, 2004 © Courtesy of the artist/Victoria and Albert Museum , London

LONDON.- A fantastic collection of contemporary photographs from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London will take centre stage at The Herbert in Coventry from September 2008.

Something That I’ll Never Really See will feature over 30 artists in the new Gallery 1 at the venue which has undergone a £20 million refurbishment and extension in Jordan Well in the city centre.

The exhibition, which is organised by the V&A, will run from September 16, 2008 until January 11, 2009 and admission is free.

Dominic Bubb, Exhibitions Officer at The Herbert, said the exhibition will feature 44 photographs from a whole host of internationally named artists as well as emerging talents.

“The V&A often put together exhibitions which have themes or are collections of artists. Something That I’ll Never Really See draws together a diverse range of contemporary photographs that the V&A has collected during the last ten years,” he said.

“The title for this exhibition is inspired from a picture by Gavin Turk entitled Portrait of Something I’ll Never Really See (1997). The image is a portrait of the artist with his eyes closed.

“Work from leading artists including Birmingham-born Richard Billingham, Cindy Sherman, Frances Kearney, David Hockney and Sarah Jones will also be on display.

“This exhibition has a real wow factor and it makes you realise that photography isn’t just about taking holiday snap-shots or looking at the images you see on a computer.

“The images in the exhibition bring into question the very role of photography in the world of contemporary art. This collection demonstrates the V&A’s recognition of photography as an important art form and may challenge visitors’ previously held assumptions about the visual arts.

“This is the first exhibition from the V&A that we have held at The Herbert for a number of years but the new gallery is a perfect space to showcase all these photographs in the best possible light.”

The photographs in Something That I'll Never Really See are drawn from the V&A’s permanent collections and include some of the most innovative works created during a pivotal period in photographic history.

Harlemville V by Claire Richardson, 2000 © Courtesy of the artist/ Victoria and Albert Museum , London