The V&A Tower of Curiosities by Kristjana S. Williams – limited edition print, signed and numbered

Limited Edition landmark artwork created by artist Kristjana S. Williams in honour of the iconic Victoria and 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 and 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 facade 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.