Where: Victoria & Albert Museum, London
When: 22 March - 13 July 2014
This exhibition, fresh from New York, shines a well-deserved spotlight on the man who could justifiably be called Britain’s first great
interior designer. William Kent brought to eighteenth-century country house
interiors an opulence and decadence that is beautifully evoked in this elegant
exhibition. The loans more than adequately illustrate the Italian-inspired
luxury that now typifies our idea of the exuberant Georgian stately home, but
homage is also paid to Kent’s work through clever and subtle exhibition design –
for instance, the cut-out enfilade that frames his portrait, echoing the way in
which Kent’s interior schemes were designed around specific artworks.
The exhibition forms a calm scholarly retreat at the V&A in anticipation of the glitzy whirlwind that will surely engulf the unveiling of the upcoming blockbuster The Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945-2014, especially when enjoyed alongside its stupendous catalogue. But the two shows perhaps were intended to work in synergy, showcasing the perennial glamour that Italian design has brought to our shores over the course of centuries.
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