Andrew Lambirth

Comfortless aesthetic

issue 22 April 2006

The classic Modernist interior familiar to us all is a white cube, minimally furnished and adorned, the clean geometric lines of the architecture given prominence at the expense of fittings and fixtures. As the visitor steps into the V&A’s homage to Modernism, it’s at once clear that the design of the show will not mirror that aesthetic. This is a busy, multicoloured display, crammed with pictures and artefacts, full of red or blue arrows linking labels to exhibits, and vamped up with variant wall patterns. It’s big on visual excitement, not restraint. There are over 300 exhibits and more than 50 film clips to be seen, and at times it’s difficult to make sense of the rich array.

Yet the exhibition certainly starts well, with a beautiful 1916 Malevich painting, ‘Dynamic Suprematism’, borrowed from the Tate. Instantly we are on a high. This is well backed up by the strange charcoal and pencil drawings by Georgii Krutikov of a flying city, and the delicious black cross and circle teacup and saucer by Nikolai Suetin.

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in