'The Art of Invention' Loan Exhibition 2010
A fascinating collection of rarely seen original designs, sketches and watercolours by some of the nation’s greatest engineers, inventors, and artists.
The exhibition was sponsored by the Watercolours + Works on Paper Fair, which was hosted in the Science Museum for the first time.
The relationship between science and art is closer than many might think – the designs and records of even the most complex technology have a beauty and symmetry that many great artists would envy. ‘The Art of Invention’ is a celebration of art in science, with over 40 original sketches, plans, designs and diagrams chosen especially for their aesthetic appeal. Picked from the vast archives of the Science Museum, most of these images have never before been exhibited to the public.
The exhibits included:
* An original 1840 technical drawing by Charles Babbage of his “Analytical Engine” the forerunner of the modern computer.
* Intricate engineering plans by Marc Brunel, drawn before his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel gained worldwide fame.
* Drawings by Hooper coachbuilding firm, for a sledge for Queen Victoria, and from the 1940s for the Daimler drophead coupe.
* A breathtaking 6 feet-long original watercolour from 1853 of the SS Great Eastern, by Brunel’s collaborator and the builder of the ship, John Scott Russell.
The exhibition was sponsored by the Watercolours + Works on Paper Fair, which was hosted in the Science Museum for the first time.
The relationship between science and art is closer than many might think – the designs and records of even the most complex technology have a beauty and symmetry that many great artists would envy. ‘The Art of Invention’ is a celebration of art in science, with over 40 original sketches, plans, designs and diagrams chosen especially for their aesthetic appeal. Picked from the vast archives of the Science Museum, most of these images have never before been exhibited to the public.
The exhibits included:
* An original 1840 technical drawing by Charles Babbage of his “Analytical Engine” the forerunner of the modern computer.
* Intricate engineering plans by Marc Brunel, drawn before his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel gained worldwide fame.
* Drawings by Hooper coachbuilding firm, for a sledge for Queen Victoria, and from the 1940s for the Daimler drophead coupe.
* A breathtaking 6 feet-long original watercolour from 1853 of the SS Great Eastern, by Brunel’s collaborator and the builder of the ship, John Scott Russell.
