With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

V&A has Baroque answer to world economic crisis

On the eve of world leaders meeting to avert the worst economic crisis in more than half a century, the V&A showcased its new display – which contains more gold leaf than a whole team of Premier League footballers' mansions.

Nigel Llewellyn, who is curating the exhibition with Michael Snodin, insisted it did not matter that extravagance was currently passé.

He said: "In the midst of all this austerity, what better than to enjoy the Baroque?"

The style originated in 1620s Papal Rome, he said, and spread throughout Europe and the colonies to become what the V&A is calling "the first global style"...
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)