Royal Pavilion and Brighton Museums app

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.

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. 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.