Touring exhibition: The Cult of Beauty

The Aesthetic Movement 1860-1900

Exhibition available to hire

Portrait of Mrs Luke lonides by William Blake Richmond, oil on canvas, England, early 20th century, Museum no. E.1062-2003

This is the first international exhibition to explore the unconventional creativity of the Aesthetic movement in Britain. As the well spring of the 'new art' movements of the late 19th century, Aestheticism is now acknowledged for its revolutionary re-negotiation of the relationships between the artist and society and between the 'fine' and design arts.

Superb paintings by artists such as Whistler, Rossetti and Leighton will feature alongside fashionable trends in architecture, interior design, domestic furnishings, art photography and new modes of dress, tracing Aestheticism's evolution from the artistic concerns of a small avant-garde to a broad cultural phenomenon.

The exhibition is organised with the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco in collaboration with the Musée d’Orsay, Paris. It will open with the title ‘Beauté, morale et volupté dans l'Angleterre d'Oscar Wilde’ at the Musée D’Orsay on 13th September 2011, closing on the 15th January 2012. The exhibition transfers to the Fine Arts Museum San Francisco and opens at the Legion of Honor on 18th February, closing on 17th June 2012.

Size: Approx 900m²
Available from late 2012

For further information about hiring this exhibition please contact touringexhibitions@vam.ac.uk

Frederic Leighton, Pavonia

Frederic Leighton, Pavonia, oil on canvas, Rome/London, 1858-59, Private Collection c/o Christie's

Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Armchair

Lawrence Alma-Tadema, armchair, mahogany with cedar and ebony veneer, carving and inlay of several woods, ivory and abalone shell, London, c.1884-6 W.25:1-1980, © V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum

Arthur Silver for Liberty & Co., Peacock Feathers

Arthur Silver for Liberty & Co., ‘Peacock Feathers’ furnishing fabric, London, 1887, T.50-1953 © V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum

William Morris, Design for Fruit Wallpaper

William Morris, design for fruit wallpaper, gouache on paper over pencil and crayon, London, 1862, E.229-2009 © V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum

William Blake Richmond, Mrs Luke Ionides

William Blake Richmond, Mrs Luke Ionides, oil on canvas, London, 1879, E.1062-2003 © V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum

Edward William Godwin, A Pair of Vases

Edward William Godwin, A pair of vases, red earthenware with cream slip glaze and sgrafito decoration, London, c.1877, C.1-2008 © V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum

The Cult of Beauty: Exhibition View

The Cult of Beauty: Exhibition View

The Cult of Beauty: Exhibition View

The Cult of Beauty: Exhibition View