The Cult of Beauty: V and A Museum

There was barely enough room to breathe, let alone enjoy the works displayed as part of the Cult of Beauty exhibition at the V and A Museum. On a sweltering Saturday people were squeezed into every nook and cranny of the exhibition space as everybody jostled for a glimpse of each work of art. It is always nice to see people coming in droves through the doors of any museum, but perhaps the V and A should have taken a leaf out of the National Gallery’s book and limited the number of tickets available each hour. This might have ensured that all the visitors had an opportunity to savour the exhibition rather than having to shove, nudge and elbow just to catch a glance of each work on display.

Clearly this was not the best day to try and see the Cult of Beauty exhibition, and it would have been a far more enjoyable experience on a quieter day, nevertheless, each and every piece of art on display was exceptionally beautiful. The exhibits were worth the wait when they - at last - came into view – decadent paintings, luxurious textiles, elegant ceramics, stunning furniture, wonderful patterned wallpaper and splendid posters.

There is very little point in describing all the pieces on display, but here are a few of my personal favourites:


The Syracusan Bride Leading Wild Beasts in Procession to the Temple of Diana – Frederic Leighton
This huge painting awash with vibrant colours shows an exotic scene of colourfully robed women, lions, leopards, tigers and bright flower garlands. The painting reveals the new depiction of women amongst the Aesthetic artists. It shows a new depiction of female beauty – an exotic and (at that time) unusual depiction and ideal of female beauty.

Screen – William Eden Nesfield
This is a beautiful, decadent screen with golden Japanese silk paper decorated with birds and flowers, as well as a dark wooden frame gilded with stunning intricate gold patterns. It shows the new attitude that the Aesthetics had towards other cultures, and especially the Orient. The Aesthetics were influenced and inspired by other cultures, and often this would be the first opportunity for many people to see art from other countries.

Charger – William de Morgan
This stunning charger with a flamboyant turquoise peacock is a typical symbol of aestheticism. The peacock was a motif that was often used by the artists of the aesthetic movement to symbolise decadence luxury, beauty and pride in beauty.

The Climax – Aubrey Beardsley
This monochrome illustration for Salome by Oscar Wilde shows the clear link in the aesthetic Movement between art and literature. Many of the ideas and images were shared by artists, authors and poets alike.


The diverse objects on display allowed the visitor to appreciate the diverse artists (and poets) which were part of the Aesthetic Movement as well as the varying methods, ideas and art forms within this group. However, the exhibition’s focus on the Aesthetic Movement’s central principles - the artists attempts to escape the ugliness and materialism of the age through their art as well as the ideal of Art for Art’s Sake : art that existed to be beautiful and no more – ensured that the exhibition was complete and well-rounded.

The exhibition succeeded in charting the history, influences and development of the Aesthetic Movement. This was done by organising the exhibition chronologically - not always the most exciting way to exhibit pieces of art – but in this case it was the most effective. However, the exhibition did miss a trick in not chronicling the influence of the V and A Museum itself. After all, the V and A Museum’s history is intrinsically linked to the influence of aestheticism and its very presence owes a great deal to the period when artists realised the increased importance of the decorative arts.

The Cult of Beauty not only showed the changing attitudes of artists but also the changing attitudes of the public towards art. Handmade pieces of art and furniture such as those created by William Morris and Burne-Jones were no longer the preserve of the very wealthy few because a number of the artists and designers of the Aesthetic Movement developed the mass production of stylish household goods. This brought about the idea that everybody (with reasonable means) could furnish their homes with pieces of art, and everybody could therefore enjoy Art for Art’s Sake.

This was a stunning exhibition that succeeded in bringing new life to the Aesthetic Movement; it was just a pity that it was almost impossible to fully appreciate the art on display because of the huge crowds.