Sir John Soane's Museum, London
Sir John Soane's Museum is located in Lincoln's Inn Fields in central London, in the same building that Sir John Soane created between 1812 and 1814, having modified and combined three eighteenth century buildings.
Regarded as one of the most famous Neoclassical architects of Victorian times, Sir Soane collected countless objects and works of art during his lifetime.
The large building was intended as a setting for his ever-growing collection, but also as a home for the architect and his family.
Sir Soane bequeathed the home to the British nation, requiring that it be opened to the public and that nothing be modified or moved.
Inside visitors are overwhelmed by the apparent disarray of paintings, sculptures and objects crammed into in every nook and cranny, attesting to the eccentric collectors’ almost obsessive passion for objets d’art.
Greek and Etruscan vases, watercolours by Turner, ancient Roman marble, drawings by Piranesi, plaster busts and sculptures are all scattered around, almost to the point of creating a sense of disorientation.
However, the true protagonist of this museum is the building itself, with its rooms designed as a series of varying open spaces, in a certain sense a forerunner of the modern loft, further enhanced by a the masterful use of light, which thanks to the many mirror effects creates the impression of much larger interiors.
Sir John Soane's Museum
13 Lincoln's Inn Fields
London WC2A 3 - UK
Tel. 020 7405 2107
www.soane.org
