Decorative Arts at the V&A
In contrast to the fine arts, i.e. painting, sculpture and drawing, decorative arts are characterized as ornamental as well as functional. The fanciful gold gilded furniture of Louis XV usually comes to mind.
More recently, the Victoria and Albert Museum is having an exhibition titled “Telling Tales: Fantasy and Fear in Contemporary Design,” displaying a collection of 50 items of contemporary designs. These works all fulfill the condition of being a functional object, though in practice, they aren’t really so. Instead, the designers took on a playful and extravagant approach, producing beautiful and intricate objects meant for the discerning furniture collector.
The curator of the show, Gareth Williams chose pieces that had a story to tell, wanting to focus on unique pieces that would be considered more as art than anything else. Absent are the mass produced pieces, decent but cheap, that would be sold in the likes of Ikea. There’s definitely a chord of nostalgia in “Telling Tales” – it’s not too common, especially in today’s economic clime, to come across beautifully crafted bureaus, commodes or desks in your friend’s home. Instead, we get to appreciate it at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Robber Baron cabinet, designed in 2006 by Studio Job for Moss.
Fig Leaf Wardrobe, designed in 2008 by Tord Boontje for Meta.
Inside Fig Leaf Wardrobe.
Jeroen Verhoeven’s Cinderella Table copies the curves of 18th century French commodes.
Tulip Vase, designed in 2008 by Hella Jongerius for Royal Tichelaar Makkum.
More at nytimes.com
