LUXURY OR EXCESS?

LUXURY is much in the news. The Daily Telegraph is the latest to bring out a special magazine devoted to it, a recent survey says we need more of it, there have been television programmes about it, and everyone in hot pursuit of the sybaritic shopper – and who is not? – has been bringing out even more de luxe versions of their luxury goods.

In an era of ostensible recession it is, to say the least, perverse that ladies have been spending thousands of pounds on handbags made from cruelly killed snakes, that sales of super-sized, gin-palace yachts have soared, and that celebrities are falling over themselves to throw money at the latest exotic extravagance.

A visit to the delightful Geffrye Musuem in the City of London is a reminder that other ages have wrestled with the problem of ostentation and excess. Devoted to interior designs from the 1600s on, it shows furniture beautifully crafted at the start of that century but with restrained decoration, made to last, and with décor and household goods reflecting similar values.

It was considered rather coarse, lacking in refinement, to flaunt wealth. When less moderated styles started to be adopted in the 1700s, celebrated dramatist John Dennis inveighed against such luxury in his work ‘Essay upon Publick Spirit’, quoted in the museum’s informative commentary.

The museum is a little known treasure, hidden away down the unlovely Kingsland Road, housed in a courtyard of 18th century almshouses. Modern extensions that are a testament to the architect’s talents, provide settings for rooms charting the different interior styles of periods from the 17th to the 20th century.

The correlation between décor and clothing styles is particularly evident in the Victorian era, where the fussing interiors are reflected in the equally fussy clothes of the time. By comparison, the room above shows the sturdy, fairly plain but essentially practical design of the late 1600s.

Amusing as well as informative captions and recordings for each period setpiece, as well as an excellent and reasonably priced restaurant, make this quite one of London's most enjoyable museums. It deserves wider appreciation but in the meantime is free of the crowds that clog more well known venues. Admission is free and there is an active membership of Friends. www.geffrye-museum.org.uk

MODERN WORKS ON WAR

Much attention is already being focused on next year's anniversary of the First World War but a new art exhibition in Manchester is concentrating upon works covering conflicts since the First Gulf War twenty years ago.

'Catalyst: Contemporary Art and War' at the Imperial War Museum's exhibition gallery, featuring work by over 40 artists, opened in October and runs until next February. Included are works commissioned by the IWM from Steve McQueen, in Iraq, Paul Seawright, in Afghanistan, Langlands & Bell, and Kennard Phillips. A mixture of paintings, photography, film, books and sculpture, it aims to illustrate the different ways that artists have reacted to the modern war scene. This one 'Death Squad 1991' is by John Keane.

The IWM in London will be marking the First World War anniversary with the start of a four year programme of cultural activities, to take place across the country. www.iwm.org.uk