In this intriguing insight into the work and history of a museum, V&A director and historian Dr Tristram Hunt brings together ten renowned V&A curators to tell the stories behind ten of their most treasured objects.
‘Tipu’s Tiger’ (an almost life-size wooden semiautomaton mauling a European soldier), the ‘Great Bed of Ware’ (an Elizabethan bed for 8 people) and a Shakespeare First Folio are among the featured highlights whose route to the V&A collections are entertainingly revealed.
Through these stories, this insightful history of museum curation – a world of careful study and sometimes remarkable fortuity – shows how the priorities of a museum are shaped and change over time.
Edited by:
Tristram Hunt
Imprint: Victoria & Albert Pubs
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 225mm,
Width: 185mm,
Spine: 32mm
Weight: 1.010kg
ISBN: 9781851779727
ISBN 10: 1851779728
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 28 April 2020
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
The Lives of the Objects, Tristram Hunt / Copy of Trajan's Column, Rebecca Knott / The Raphael Cartoons, Ana Debenedetti / Tipu's Tiger, Susan Stronge / First Folio, Geoffrey Marsh / The Rodin Gift, Alicia Robinson / The Great Bed of Ware, Nick Humphrey / Fold-up Chair, Johanna Agerman Ross / Evening Ensemble, Sonnett Stanfill / Rangoon: Signal Pagoda, Martin Barnes / Robin Hood Gardens, Christopher Turner
Tristram Hunt is the author of several books on British history, and the Director of the V&A.
Reviews for The Lives of the Objects: Collecting Design
'...full of fascinating, if occasionally tragic and controversial, tales of acquisitions.' Ciara Dossett, Daily Mail, 6th February 2020
