Day 13: A&C at the V&A

 Today we whiled away the hours wandering the galleries of the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, The Victoria and Albert Museum . The V&A houses a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects contained in 145 galleries covering 12.5 acres. 5,000 years of art from the cultures of Europe, North America, Asia and North Africa are represented in virtually every medium. For a person who loves design this cornucopia is a font of inspiration. We passed droves of students intently working on large sketch pads. The sheer volume of art made it impossible to take in everything, so I focused on what I love the most.

 After browsing the galleries of fashion, and sculpture I lingered in the European galleries from ancient Rome to modern day. Taking my time through the areas devoted to the Arts and Crafts movement. Who knows why particular people are drawn to certain design aesthetics, but for some reason this form has always appealed to me. I especially like the work of William Morris, one of the pioneers of the movement, who is credited with the quote  "If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." His wallpaper and textile designs have an wonderful sense of movement and balance, and I purchased a slim volume of his patterns from the museum store before leaving.

  I would be remiss if I did not also make a special mention on The Cast Courts, two enormous halls that house the Museum's most important plaster cast and electrotype reproductions. These faithful copies were taken from works of art or architectural
details throughout Europe during the nineteenth century, when the collecting of such casts was at its most popular. Commissioned or purchased by the museum these reproductions allowed people who could not travel abroad to admire some of the major European monuments and works of art. To see my photos of these visit my Day 13 Photostream.