The exhibition is dedicated to two outstanding protagonists of the Aesthetic Movement, whose cult of beauty provided a significant impulse for the emergence of modern design. Based on the exemplary connection between art, design, and lifestyle cultivated by Godwin and Wilde, the show highlights the aesthetic and social foundations of a movement that remained influential beyond the 19th century and had a decisive impact on the development of design.
Edward William Godwin (1833–1886) was one of the most radical and influential designers in Victorian England. The writer Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was a close friend of Godwin. As an iconic figure of Victorian England, he shaped the spirit of his era between dandyism and decadence. Godwin and Wilde were kindred spirits whose artistic work reflected a broad education and an extraordinary thirst for knowledge. Both aimed for an aesthetic permeation of daily life and its transmutation into art.
