‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ exhibit will send viewers ‘Through the Looking-glass’
A new exhibit entitled ‘Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser’ will open next March at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Staged by renowned theater designer Tom Piper, the exhibit documents 157 years of widespread fascination with Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’. The famous children’s tale, published in 1865 (and its sequel, entitled ‘Through the Lookingglass, and What Alice Found There’, released in 1871) features a cast of characters and an illustriously imaginary world that have inspired many artists for centuries, including those whose work appear in the exhibit – Tim Burton, Salvador Dalí, and designer Vivienne Westwood.
Included in the over 300 objects exhibited in the art show are the original book illustrations by illustrator John Tenniel. A prodigious cartoonist of the Victorian period, Tenniel collaborated with Carroll on his first edition. His original drawings of Alice, the Dodo, and other characters helped define their now-famous appearances. Visitors will also view photographs of the “real” Alice. The child of a dean at Oxford, Alice Liddell was vivacious. Carroll entertained young Alice and her two sisters with fantasy stories, one of which became ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’, mymodernmet.com reported.
Other characters from ‘Wonderland’ are just as famous as Alice. The Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, and the Cheshire Cat appear through modern lenses. For example, in true 1960s aesthetic, a psychedelic poster designed by Joseph Mchugh portrays a red-eyed Cheshire Cat. The exhibit will also include images from modern dramatic renditions of the tale.
The exhibit ‘Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser’ will open to the public on March 27, 2021 at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Tickets will go on sale soon on the V&A website. The exhibit will continue through December 2021 to allow ample time for all interested visitors to see the collection in safety.
An upcoming exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London will trace 157 years of the artistic influence of Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’.
The exhibit includes original illustrations by John Tenniel, the cartoonist who illustrated the first edition of the novel.
Viewers will also see photos of the “real” Alice, Alice Liddell.
Carroll’s characters inspired generations of artists working in different mediums and during different artistic periods.
Modern works by Tim Burton, Anna Gaskell, Salvador Dalí, and designer Vivienne Westwood will also be on view.
This exhibit will also feature the many dramatic adaptations of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’, including both film and stage productions.
Carroll’s novel remains culturally relevant over a century after it first became popular.