The touring exhibition on display at the National Library, Creating a Gothic Paradise: Pugin at the Antipodes, was developed by the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. On display until 18 May, it is the first comprehensive exhibition of the Australian work of the highly influential early Victorian architect, designer and theorist, Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812–1852). §§§ Pugin’s career was brief but brilliant. By the time he died, aged 40, he had designed over 100 buildings and produced thousands of designs for furniture, metalwork, textiles, jewellery, tiles, wallpaper, stained glass and illustrations. He wrote and illustrated 13 books. Pugin is considered to be one the most gifted and prolific creative geniuses of the modern era. He transformed architecture and design in England, formed the starting point for the Gothic Revival movement, and had a significant impact in Europe. §§§ The British Houses of Parliament are Pugin’s best known work, and he crafted the detail of the interiors and furnishings in their entirety, including the extraordinary House of Lords. He had a direct impact on ecclesiastical architecture in Australia, designing 12 buildings including St Francis Xavier’s Church in Berrima, St Stephen’s Church in Brisbane, St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne and the extensions to the old St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney (later destroyed in an 1865 fire). All these can be seen through architectural drawings and nineteenth-century and contemporary photographs on display at the exhibition. §§§ On Tuesday 15 April at 12.30 pm, the National Library’s Exhibitions Curator, Tim Fisher, will be conducting a special walk-through and discussion of the Pugin exhibition for Friends. Tim’s discussion will centre upon aspects of ecclesiastical design and how they were revolutionised by Pugin’s work. There is no need to book for this special event, and entry is by donation. JAMES
HALLIGAN |
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