Events

"THE BEAUTY OF LIFE": WILLIAM MORRIS AND THE ART OF DESIGN

November 8, 2003, through April 4, 2004

William Morris's place in the history of nineteenth-century design Will be examined in this exhibition of over 200 works related to Morris, His circle, and the firm of Morris and Company.

Drawn from The Huntington's extensive Arts and Crafts holdings---the largest collection of William Morris materials in America---the exhibit will include stained glass, textiles, designs for wallpaper, embroidery, tapestry, furniture, ceramics, manuscripts, and Kelmscott Press material. central theme will be the practical and theoretical ideas behind Morris's design activities. For Morris, beauty, pleasure, and work were interrelated
ideals, and in his work he attempted to integrate the manual and the intellectual. Groups of objects on display will be assembled to explore the different historical debates and ideas relating to Victorian design and culture with which Morris engaged, such as the gothic revival, medievalism and modernity, the role of women in the arts, and the relationship between socialism and the arts. After closing at The Huntington, the exhibition will travel to the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, Connecticut.