The Must-See Denver Exhibit Exploring Design From The Aesthetic Movement
A new exhibition at the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art in Denver’s Golden Triangle Creative District—“Truth, Beauty and Power: Christopher Dresser and the Aesthetic Movement”—illuminates the Aesthetic Movement, a socially progressive British art and design movement of the late 19th century that revolutionized design with its emphasis on pure beauty—or art for art’s sake.
On view April 2–May 23, the show draws from the museum’s permanent collections—including many never-before-seen works—to explore common motifs used in designs from the Aesthetic Movement, with a special focus on the influential works of British designer Christopher Dresser, from ceramics to an elaborate and richly upholstered five-legged chair.
“We’re taking an in-depth look into this important, but possibly overlooked, part of our permanent collection,” says deputy curator Christopher Herron. “Dresser and his role in the Aesthetic Movement are an important early foundation of our decorative art collection”—not to mention enduring ideas about the necessity of beauty in everyday domestic life.