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Royal Pavilion’s dazzling colour is the subject of researcher’s display

An additional feast for the eyes awaits visitors to the Royal Pavilion in Brighton at a display inspired by University of Sussex research that opens to the public on Saturday (15 June).

Alexandra Loske in the Yellow Bow Room, the Royal Pavilion, Brighton.

Hand-painted wallpaper from the Royal Pavilion. Copyright Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove.

Alexandra Loske, who is completing a DPhil in Art History this summer, is the curator of ‘Regency Colour and Beyond – 1785-1850’, a temporary display that draws on Alexandra’s research into the 19^th-century fascination for colour as revealed in the famously spectacular décor of the Royal Pavilion.

Objects on display include rare books about colour from the period, original wallpaper fragments from the Royal Pavilion and objects such as a 19^th-century artist’s paint box and jars of pigments.

Alexandra’s research involved working closely with the Royal Pavilion’s conservation team, specialist libraries and with scientists at the National Gallery, who analysed pigment samples taken from the Royal Pavilion.

Alexandra says: “Putting this display together has been a hugely rewarding experience and it felt like condensing all my research into something that any visitor to the Royal Pavilion can enjoy.

“I hope that some people will be amazed by both the daring design schemes in this very special building, and by the historical background to the colours and finishes they see.

“The display feels like a very fitting conclusion to a collaborative scholarship. Throughout my research I was encouraged to engage with many experts in related fields, and the same applied to this project.

“It was a truly collaborative effort that would not have been possible without the teamwork of the Royal Pavilion’s conservation team, curators and administrators, as well as several other institutions.”

Alexandra’s doctorate is one of several collaborative doctorates funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) at Sussex. Collaborative doctorates give researchers an opportunity to work with important institutions and their collections under the supervision of academics and partner professionals such as curators and archivists.

Later this month Alexandra will give a presentation about the Royal Pavilion display at Yale University in Connecticut, where she will be attending a seminar on colour at the Yale Center for British Art.

• ‘Regency Colour and Beyond - 1785-1850’ runs from 15 June to 13 October. Entry is free with admission to the Royal Pavilion.

• Alexandra will deliver an introduction to the displays at 1pm on Wednesday 3 July and Monday 16 September. Entry is free with Royal Pavilion admission.