Untitled (After Gillian Varley's leaving party, Victoria & Albert Museum)
Photograph
1999 (made)
1999 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Nigel Shafran has a close relationship with the V&A and used the Museum as the subject for a series of photographs taken in 1999. This photograph is typical of Shafran’s photographic style. Taken after the leaving party of Gillian Varley, Head of Public Services at the National Library, Shafran captures a corner of an office that a first glance may seem mundane but on closer examination reveals a wealth of information. A coat stand is used to display old Christmas cards, open cases of wine are stacked on top of filing cabinets and a pinboard displays documents related to Health and Safety procedures. Shafran’s photographs offer a glimpse into the many roles adopted by the museum and provide a candid representation of museum life, one that provides an interesting contrast to earlier representations carried out by museum photographers including Charles Thurston Thompson and Isabel Cowper.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Untitled (After Gillian Varley's leaving party, Victoria & Albert Museum) (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Chromogenic process |
| Brief description | Shafran, Nigel; Untitled (office, Victoria and Albert Museum), 1999 |
| Physical description | Photograph taken after the leaving party of Gillian Varley, Head of Public Services at the National Art Library. In the centre of the photograph, there is a coat-stand which has been used to hang old Christmas decorations from. Three open wine crates are to the left of the coat-stand, two placed on a chest of drawers and one on the floor. Further left there is a pin board with various notices pinned up. To the right of the photograph there are various pieces of office furniture. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | This photograph is part of a set commissioned by the Museum from the photographer to celebrate the completion of the chairmanship of the V&A Board of Trustees, Lord Armstrong. A set of the photographs were given to Lord Armstrong at his leaving party and another set are in the photography collection at the V&A. |
| Production | Reason For Production: Commemorative Reason For Production: Commission |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | Nigel Shafran has a close relationship with the V&A and used the Museum as the subject for a series of photographs taken in 1999. This photograph is typical of Shafran’s photographic style. Taken after the leaving party of Gillian Varley, Head of Public Services at the National Library, Shafran captures a corner of an office that a first glance may seem mundane but on closer examination reveals a wealth of information. A coat stand is used to display old Christmas cards, open cases of wine are stacked on top of filing cabinets and a pinboard displays documents related to Health and Safety procedures. Shafran’s photographs offer a glimpse into the many roles adopted by the museum and provide a candid representation of museum life, one that provides an interesting contrast to earlier representations carried out by museum photographers including Charles Thurston Thompson and Isabel Cowper. |
| Associated objects |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.274-1999 |
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| Record created | August 22, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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