Alexandra Loske with her new Royal Pavilion book at Yale UP offices in London

Written by Dr Alexandra Loske of the Centre for Life History and Life Writing Research, and Curator of the Royal Pavilion and Historic Properties at Brighton & Hove Museums, The Royal Pavilion: A Regency Palace of Colour and Sensation is out on 24th June. 

Alexandra will introduce the book at the First International Symposium on Chinese Export Art at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China in June, followed by a public lecture at the Victoria & Albert Museum on 1 July. 

This work draws on Alexandra's doctoral research into colour in the Royal Pavilion, which was based at the University of Sussex's Department of Art History, and her in-depth knowledge of the building through her role as curator.

Featuring new photography, this lavishly illustrated book will provide a fresh look at the sumptuous Chinoiserie interiors of the Royal Pavilion and their enduring appeal. It celebrates the colours and sensual beauty of these interiors while situating the Royal Pavilion in the context of the time of its creation and development under royal ownership, from its beginning in the wake of the French Revolution, through its transformation and extension during and just after the Napoleonic Wars, to its fate and legacy in the early Victorian era. 

Created between 1787 and 1823 by George IV, the Royal Pavilion in Brighton is perhaps the most daring and enchanting example of a building that expresses the European fascination with what in the early nineteenth century was considered the “Orient,” in particular China and India. The building, with its Indian-inspired exterior, was the work of the renowned architect John Nash, who with the contributions of several other gifted and inventive architects, artists and designers, created a building that draws you in, takes you on a journey and plays with your senses.

Further information: https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300266665/the-royal-pavilion-brighton/

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