Off to the V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum) recently to see Surreal Things - the new exhibition about the Surrealist movement in in the early 20th century.
The spectacle starts from the get-go as you enter the exhibition through red velvet theatre curtains to find yourself standing in front of a wonderful handpainted stage set by Gorgio de Chirico, commissioned by Diaghilev for Le Bal in 1929.
The ballet's handpainted costumes are recreated and displayed on mannequins on the stage. I particularly liked the painted medals on some of the costumes and would have bought a tee shirt with the same design in the shop afterwards, but it was only available in a dull khaki shade which my son has always referred to as “dark pooh”. Something the surrealists would doubtless have approved of!
The exhibition has some marvellous furniture, there is Dali's “Mae West’s lips” pink sofa of 1938 and the “Hoof chair” (1946) by Carlo Molliro.
Marcel Jean’s “Armoire Surrrealiste” wardrobe (1941) has trompe l’oeil doors and drawers painted on a plain wooden wardrobe to give the illusion of many different doors and windows opening onto a landscape of hills sea and sky.
But it was to the fashions which made the biggest impact on me. Highlights of the final gallery included a futuristic quilted jacket (1937) by the American designer Charles James which would not seem out of place in an episode of “Blake's Seven”, and some fantastic sculptured and appliqued dresses from the 1930s by the Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli. Her “Evening Coat” (1937) is a plain black floor length silk jersey coat, buttoned up high to the neck and quite stark on the front but smothered in appliqued satin roses on the yoke at the back and decorated with gold metal embroidery.
Schiaparelli's “Skeleton” evening dress of 1938 is a figure hugging ankle length black dress in layers of chiffon with long sleeves and rolled chiffon rib and leg bone shapes sewn onto the front to evoke the shape of the body underneath. She also created the colour "Shocking Pink."
For jewellery fanciers, there are gloves with snakeskin fingernails, straw hats with appliquéd bees and butterflies, Dali’s “Ruby Lips Brooch” of 1949, a mouth of ruby and diamond lips mounted around a set of pearl teeth and Meret Oppenheim’s “Fur” bracelet (1935).
A small selection of surrealist inspired items, is on sale in the exhibition shop which also has some silver jewellery with attitude by French firm Lirix which includes a silver corset ring.
The famous lobster telephone handle by Dali was much in evidence: even the assistants in the shop had fake lobsters taped to the handles of their telephone handsets.
James "Athenian" Stuart exhibition
While at the V & A we took in the exhibition of the influential 18th century architect and designer James “Athenian” Stuart. Stuart was an early advocate of Greek and Roman style architecture for country houses and garden buildings.
He travelled widely in Europe and painted many contemporary views of Greece and Rome which feature in the exhibition along with an excellent selection of his drawings and designs for houses and fantasy garden buildings. There are also photographs of his surviving work today.
Stuart's landmark publication Antiquities of Athens, first published 1762, was the first accurate record of Classical Greek architecture.
Recommended
The exhibition Surreal Things runs from 29 March – 22 July 2007 at the V&A museum in South Kensington in London. Book at www.vam.co.uk.
The Rediscovery of Antiquity , an exhibition on the life and work of James “Athenian” Stuart (1713-1788) runs from 15 March – 24 June 2007 and is in room 94. Entry is free.
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