CONTINUES
GOTHIC: Art for England 1400-1547
TO 18 JANUARY 2004
The Victoria and Albert Museum's major autumn exhibition, Gothic: Art
for England 1400-1547, shows for the first time the glory of late medieval
art from the reign of Henry IV to the reign of Henry VIII. The exhibition
is the successor to the acclaimed Age of Chivalry (1200-1400) at the Royal
Academy in 1987/88.
The V&A
Gothic exhibition covers the period brought to life by Shakespeare's great
history plays such as Henry V and Richard III, a period that evokes Agincourt,
war with France, the Wars of the Roses and a time of English insularity.
The exhibition shows, by contrast, how against this backdrop, the huge
wealth and extensive patronage of monarchs, aristocrats, the Church and
merchants made the late medieval years one of the richest periods for
the arts in England. Fires, war, and the Reformation have destroyed much
of the art of the period making the surviving art and artefacts extremely
rare. The exhibition brings together a superb collection of surviving
treasures with more than 300 objects including tapestries, manuscripts,
sculptures, paintings, armour, jewellery, gold and silver chalices and
reliquaries, plate, altarpieces, tomb effigies and stained glass.
Highlights
include: the funerary helmet, shield and sword of Henry V; the crown of
Margaret of York (sister of Edward IV), which has been in Germany for
500 years; the gold Reliquary of the Order of St.-Esprit owned by the
wife of Henry IV and lent by the Louvre; a monumental stained-glass window
from St. Mary's, Fairford; an early edition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
printed by William Caxton in 1483; the gold and enamel Dunstable Swan
Jewel; the silver salt and beautifully detailed silver-gilt crosier of
the fabulously wealthy Bishop Fox, Bishop of Winchester, one of only three
surviving late medieval silver crosiers.
ZOOMORPHIC
CONTEMPORARY SPACE
TO 4 JANUARY 2004
Today's leading architects from Santiago Calatrava and Frank Gehry to
Will Alsop and Norman Foster are being inspired by animal forms to take
modern architecture in an exciting new direction. Not since the emergence
of Art Nouveau a century ago has there been such an eruption of new building
inspired by the natural world. It has been made possible by new building
materials, computer design software, brilliant structural engineers and
the suspension of the old rules of architectural good taste. Zoomorphic
pulls together the worldwide buildings and projects which are in the vanguard
of this new movement, and explores it by displaying architectural models
and photographs alongside skeletons and stuffed specimens. Projects featured
include Santiago Calatrava's Milwaukee Art Museum, which rises over its
city like a bird with wings outstretched; Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners'
Waterloo International Terminal, whose glazing panels are articulated
like the scales of creatures such as lizards or pangolins; and Foster
and Partners' Swiss Re London office tower, where not only the appearance
but the structure and even the ventilation system bear analogy with sea
sponges.
EVENT
THE PLAYDOH SKYLINE
SATURDAY 20 DECEMBER TO SUNDAY 28 DECEMBER
14.00 - 16.00
CONTEMPORARY SPACE
Create your own zoomorphic additions to the urban skyline using Playdoh.
Moulded by hand, Playdoh forms are automatically 'lifelike'. By placing
your Playdoh buildings alongside images of other buildings, both conventional
and zoomorphic, children and frustrated architects of all ages will be
able to leave their animal mark on the city. Free drop in activity for
families
NEW
PAINTINGS GALLERIES
OPENED 26 NOVEMBER 2003
The V&A displays 200 works from its extensive paintings collection
in a new suite of five galleries. These galleries were originally built
to house the Museum's paintings collection during the 1850 and 1860s.
On display are Constable's revolutionary oil sketches donated to the Museum
by the artist's daughter, landscapes by Constable, Turner and Gainsborough,
and famous works by Blake, Landseer and Millais. One room is devoted entirely
to the collection of Constantine Ionides, a leading Victorian collector
and friend of Rossetti who collected European Old Masters and nineteenth
century paintings. To mark the opening of the new galleries, the National
Museum, Liverpool has lent one of the greatest pre-Raphaelite paintings,
'Isabella' (1848) by Millais. The painting, once part of the Ionides collection,
is on display until the end of January 2004.
OSSIE
CLARK
TO 2 MAY 2004
The V&A celebrates the work of Ossie Clark, one of the most influential
British fashion designers of the '60s and '70s. This mini-retrospective,
featuring more than 60 garments, along with sketchbooks and photographs,
covers the period 1965-1974 when Clark's designs helped define the spirit
of fashionable London. From the maxi skirt to the 'nude' look and the
trouser suit, Clark's designs set new trends. In addition, his collaboration
with his wife, the textile and interior designer Celia Birtwell, resulted
in some of his best known and most popular creations.
Ossie Clark
was a key figure in the world of photographers, designers, rock stars
and other celebrities who took London by storm in the '60s and '70s. The
famous and the fashionable wore Ossie Clark's designs including Marianne
Faithfull, Jimi Hendrix and Patti Boyd. He created jumpsuits for Mick
Jagger, silk dresses for Bianca Jagger and dressed Eartha Kitt in snakeskin.
Fashion icons like Twiggy, Veruschka, Jean Shrimpton and Penelope Tree
modelled the clothes while David Bailey and Guy Bourdin took the photographs.
Celebrity outfits in the show include Twiggy's fur-lined snakeskin coat,
the dress Celia Birtwell posed in for David Hockney's famous double portrait
Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy and Talhlita Getty's red crêpe evening
dress.
NEW
PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY
ALFRED STIEGLITZ: GIFTS FROM THE GEORGIA O'KEEFFE FOUNDATION
TO 14 MARCH 2004
The special display in November presents 23 photographs and photogravures
by Alfred Stieglitz from the Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation. The collection
is a significant gift of modern photographs taken from the 1890s through
to 1936. It includes portraits of Georgia O'Keeffe and examples of earlier
works.
The new Photography
Gallery highlights works from the V&A's world-renowned photography
collection, shows displays of images by major photographers and features
new acquisitions.
KIDS AT THE V&A
ACTIVITY BACK-PACKS
EVERY SATURDAY 10.30-17.00
Children can hoist a Back-Pack on their shoulders and embark upon an adventure
across the Museum. Back-Pack tours are full of exciting hands-on activities
related to the collections. There are eight Back-Packs to choose from:
Chinese Treasures, Metal Detector, The Explorer, The Antique Detective,
Magic Glasses, Fancy Furnishings, Murder Mystery and The Emperor's Party.
Activities can last 30-45 minutes. For children aged 5-12 years.
THE ACTIVITY CART
EVERY SUNDAY 10.30 *17.00
Explore the Museum's collections through drawing and making activities.
The Activity Cart is sited in a different gallery each weekend. Loaded
with a huge variety of activities ranging from making mosaics in the Sculpture
Gallery to designing a kimono in the Japanese Gallery. Activities are
suitable for children aged 3 to 12 years. All children must be accompanied
by an adult.
GENERAL INFORMATION
FREE ADMISSION FOR ALL.
The V&A is open daily 10am - 5.45pm and until 10pm on Wednesdays.
The nearest underground station is South Kensington (Piccadilly, District
and Circle lines). For general information call 020 7942 2000. Website:
www.vam.ac.uk
MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD AT BETHNAL GREEN, A BRANCH OF THE V&A
****LAST
CHANCE****
TEDDY
BEAR STORY * 100 YEARS OF THE TEDDY BEAR
TO 31 DECEMBER
Over 100, 000 can't be wrong! This is your last chance to catch this popular
exhibition. A fascinating collection of famous bears, old bears and bears
with stories, that captures the hearts and imaginations of everyone who
visits. Taking place at the Museum of Childhood at Bethnal Green, part
of the V&A, it is the most comprehensive exhibition being staged to
commemorate the teddy bear centenary.
Highlights
include:
· Celebrity bears * During December it is 'Teddy' from Steven Spielberg's
film 'AI'.
· Some of the oldest surviving bears feature alongside newer creations
such as Philippe Starck's contemporary teddy bear.
Interactive and fun displays demonstrate the hallmarks of individual manufacturers,
and also highlight the roles played by teddy bears in television, books,
music, cartoons and charities. Children are encouraged to draw and follow
trails as they learn about the history of the teddy bear.
EVENTS
SINDY'S 40TH BIRTHDAY
FROM 6 DECEMBER
A display highlighting Sindy's story as this iconic doll reaches middle
age. A rare opportunity to see how she changed, with examples both past
and present.
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