The V&A Tower of Curiosities by Kristjana S. Williams – limited edition, signed and numbered
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Limited edition landmark artwork created by artist Kristjana S. Williams in honour of the iconic Victoria & Albert Museum, its history and its secrets.
The composition of this piece has been designed to demonstrate the importance and influence of the museum, its role in society across three centuries and the evolution of culture during that time.
Reaching skyward, different elements of the grand Victoria & Albert Museum building lift and elevate each other, while resting on foundations created by a symmetrical pair of Hawksbill turtles, nature's cherished symbol of age and wisdom. The majestic Venetian style façade sits serenely upon nature's bed, its roof abundant with voluminous orange blossoms, the favoured gift from Albert to his adored Victoria. Aloft, a pair of heraldic flag-bearing beasts point the way up to Marlborough House, the Royal residence that was the forerunner to the V&A.
Beyond this, the garden's grandiose Lecture Theatre, first designed as the public entrance to the museum, its external decoration reflecting a devotion to education and design. Two working women represent the museum's 'Opus Criminale'; an early example of rehabilitation through the arts as female convicts from Woking prison were tasked to create the mosaic floors.
Magnificent roofs honour the museum's incomparable Chinese collection; the beaming lights signify the V&A's trailblazing use of gas lamps to enable evening openings. A pair of Indian elephants, resplendent in their golden adornment, stand proudly for the origins of the museum's South East Asian collection and frame the masterpiece that is Canova's The Three Graces.
A giant clipper links to the Naval School of Architecture, the original inhabitant of the Henry Cole Wing, and is framed by Japanese lacquered butterflies that dance around the pinnacle of this immersive and beautiful structure.
Limited edition of 175.
Author/Artist/Designer
Kristjana S. WilliamsDimensions
70cm x 35cm
Composition
Giclée printed on 300gsm matt smooth fine art cotton paper
Colour
Multicoloured
Product code
164843
Delivery
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Custom prints
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Christmas delivery
Returns
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An extended returns window is granted over the Christmas period. Orders placed from Friday 1 November 2024 can be returned until Monday 20 January 2025.
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Kristjana S Williams
Kristjana S. Williams is an Icelandic-born artist who works from her studio in Kew, south west London. Having trained at Central St Martins School of Art and Design, Williams has been working with the V&A since 2012, creating a number of limited editions in this time for the V&A Shop.
Williams intricately detailed and hugely colourful works often take inspiration from nature, creating dazzling layers of plants and birds, butterflies and exotic flowers. Each of her prints creates a unique and half-imagined world which the viewer can inhabit, taking in the flamboyant characters, historical references, sense of magic and, always, a touch of the unexpected.