Egypt: Influencing British Design 1775- 2025

Perspective of the First Court of the Temple at Edfu, after Denon. Photo: Geremy Butler

Location

Sir John Soane’s Museum
13 Lincoln's Inn Fields
London
WC2A 3BP

Description

This exhibition has has not opened yet

This exhibition runs from Wednesday 8th October 2025 to Sunday 18th January 2026.


The mystery, romance and aesthetic appeal of ancient Egypt has informed richly decorated Regency homes, Victorian factories and cemeteries, Art Deco cinemas and twentieth-century houses, shops and offices.

This exhibition will explore the British fascination with all things Egyptian through evocative drawings and books owned by Soane. Decorative objects including Wedgwood ceramics, Liberty Fabrics, and an Egyptian-style Singer sewing machine demonstrate the range of ways people have brought Egypt into their homes from Soane’s time to today. The exhibition will include works by Robert Adam, Giovanni Battista Piranesi and Owen Jones.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a new work by Cairo-born artist Sara Sallam, responding to the sarcophagus of the Pharoah Seti I (d.1279BC), one of the centrepieces of the Museum’s collection. Sallam will also create a handmade, limited edition artist’s book to accompany the exhibition, A Tourist Handbook for Egypt Outside of Egypt (Volume II: London).

Prices

Free

Contact and Booking Details

More information at this website.

Upcoming Dates

This exhibition runs from Wednesday 8th October 2025 to Sunday 18th January 2026.

Forthcoming dates:

Disclaimer

The information and prices in this listing are presumed to be correct at the time of publishing, but please always check with the venue before making a special trip.

All images are supplied by the exhibition organiser.

Sir John Soane’s Museum
13 Lincoln's Inn Fields
London
WC2A 3BP

Map

This exhibition runs from Wednesday 8th October 2025 to Sunday 18th January 2026.

This event runs over several days/weeks. Dates include:

October 2025

November 2025

December 2025

January 2026