Decorative Art  

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Brighton & Hove Museums’ outstanding decorative art collections were designated of pre-eminent national importance in 1998. Over 16,000 items ranging from Regency furniture and early Staffordshire pottery to one of the UK’s most significant collections of 20th century decorative art and design, the collection is unrivalled outside major national institutions.

20th Century Decorative Art and Design

Brighton Museum & Art Gallery has specialised in collecting 20th century decorative art and design since the 1960s and is widely recognised as a pioneer in the field. The collection reflects the development of style and innovation in European and American decorative art from the late 19th century to the present day. It holds key examples of furniture, ceramics and metalwork by international designers, makers and manufacturers from all the major movements of the century.

Integration of the Hove Museum & Art Gallery collections in 1997 enriched the holdings of 20th century applied art with the addition of South East Arts’ craft collection, including major works by leading contemporary British ceramicists. The redevelopment of Brighton Museum & Art Gallery in 2002 also provided an opportunity to acquire new exhibits by innovative designers from the post-war period onwards. Together, the collections demonstrate the interface between design theory and pop culture; between mass production and bespoke making. Equally, they highlight how major design trends of the 20th century have reflected the political and social upheavals of the times.

Today the collection numbers nearly 2,000 items. Its predominant holdings include:

• Work by British design innovators from Dr Christopher Dresser and Charles Rennie Mackintosh to Robert Welch and David Mellor
• French Art Nouveau and Art Deco design by Emile Gallé, Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann and René Lalique
• Significant Vienna Secession pieces by Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser
• One of arch surrealist Salvador Dalí's original ‘Mae West’ sofas
• English and French Art Deco ceramics by Clarice Cliff, Sèvres and Wedgwood
• 1950s design including furniture by Charles Eames and Hans Wegner silver by Stuart Devlin, Scandinavian glass and asymmetrical Poole pottery vases
• Contemporary furniture by modern masters Ron Arad, Philippe Starck and Thomas Heatherwick and metalwork by Alessi, Ettore Sottsass, Alistair McCallum and Rebecca de Quin.

Henry Willett Collection of Pottery and Porcelain

Founding father of Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Henry Willett, was one of the pre-eminent collectors of his day. His remarkable bequest of pottery and porcelain – some 2,000 items dating from the 17th-19th centuries – provide a unique view of British social, cultural and political history. The collection is arranged under 23 distinct themes from Royalty and Loyalty and Naval Heroes to Crime and Domestic Incidents. The collection includes rare examples from all major English factories. It is of national importance for its innovative approach to collecting, the outstanding quality of its pieces, and its longevity as an intact collection.

Additional Decorative Art

Other significant holdings include the Royal Pavilion’s Regency collection of furniture, ceramics, glass and silver gilt, and a fine collection of British and European furniture, glass and ceramics from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Collections in store include around 8,000 pieces of English pottery and porcelain, 18th century glass from Germany, Holland, Bohemia and Venice and ceramics from France and Italy. There are also European and Japanese carved ivories; and a small collection of Oriental decorative arts. Preston Manor’s Thomas-Stanford and Macquoid bequests include English and continental furniture, silver and ceramics of the 18th and 19th centuries.

The galleries

Selected items from the decorative art collections are displayed in the city’s museums and historic houses. The Regency furniture, much of it on loan from HM The Queen, and Regency silver-gilt collections can be seen at the Royal Pavilion along with Chinese export wares from around 1800. The 20th Century Art & Design gallery at Brighton Museum displays works by key designers, grouped according to style and period: from Art Nouveau and Art Deco to Modernism, Surrealism and post-war design. The Contemporary Craft galleries at Hove Museum boast works by 20th century craft pioneers such as Bernard Leach and Norah Braden. The Thomas-Stanford and Macquoid collections at Preston Manor are on permanent display.

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