A Kaleidoscope Of Colours In Brighton’s Royal Pavilion Exhibition

Colour: A Chromatic Promenade through the Royal Pavilion is a thoughtfully curated exhibition that subtly weaves contemporary art, installation and items of historical interest relating to colour theory into the interior design of Brighton’s iconic early 19th Century Royal Pavilion.

The unique exhibition curated by the Royal Pavilion’s curator– Colour historian Alexandra Loske–responds to the bold interiors decorated in a rainbow of colours which fill the former Brighton palace of King George IV.

The Royal Pavilion was designed by architect John Nash for King George IV in the early 1800s. Nash fused elements of Indian and Chinese architecture with lavish interiors in response to the flamboyant King’s love of opulence.

This unique exhibition is curated by Dr Alexandra Loske–Curator of the Royal Pavilion and an art historian specialising in the history of colour in Western art, print and architecture. Dr Loske gave me some interesting insights into the exhibition during a private tour, divulging some personal highlights and historical facts about the science of colour and its impact on emotions.

During the era of the former Prince Regent, colour was used as a status symbol and the decadent colour scheme employed by his interior designers– from opulent gold to aristocratic purple–was a status symbol used by the aristocracy to signify wealth and good taste. Colour was also used in the Royal Pavilion’s interiors to elevate or quieten the mood, for example bright canary yellow in the drawing room or calming sage green in the king’s bedroom.

Curator Alexandra Locke told me: “The building speaks for itself and is full of colour. So we just want people to slowly get a sense of what colour meant (at the time) and how hard it was to make it, to source it and how expensive it was. Most people couldn’t afford these colours or afford to paint a wall deep blue or deep red, but George did. Most people had common colours in their rooms. Common colours were predominantly chalk based or ochre earth pigments, which were relatively cheap. Whereas If you wanted a really strong yellow or red, you had to have the money to buy the pure pigment, which is called ‘higher saturation’. And that’s what it says in the (Royal Pavilion) account books: ‘Chinese Vermillion, chrome yellows and other expensive colours’.”

During the Regency period–as far as monied Royalty and aristocracy were concerned–colour wasn’t just seen, it was felt–and this feeling of sensory immersion is achieved in the Colour exhibition which incorporates installations, neon art, costume, sound and light.

Fittingly, the exhibition opened on International Colour Day–21st March–and Loske’s curation reflects her extensive knowledge of colour and how its application to interiors impacts on the senses. With Colour: A Chromatic Promenade, Loske has conceived a multi-sensory exploration of how colour shaped the aesthetics and interiors of the Regency era.

Loske’s curatorial vision is deeply rooted in scholarship, and she completed a PhD at the University of Sussex, which involved a deep dive into the Royal Pavilion’s use of bold, saturated colours—such as the peach blossom hues of the Long Gallery and the rich blues and reds of the Music and Banqueting Rooms. King George IV’s bold use of colour when the Royal Pavilion was constructed in the 1820s, was a radical departure from the restrained palettes of contemporary neoclassical architecture.

The exhibition juxtaposes contemporary art and bespoke installations with historical pieces. Loske explained to me how the curated spaces invite visitors to reflection on the use of colour to elicit an emotional response and create a captivating atmosphere. ​ Her curation offers both a scholarly and an accessible take on colour and its impact on the Royal Pavilion and on our mood.

A Sensory Journey Through Colour

Visitors to Colours can embark on a sensory journey through rooms saturated with by all shades of the rainbow. Various interventions are staged throughout the exhibition, with highlights including a specially commissioned installation–Pathways of Joy by Lois O’Hara–acting as a kind of yellow brick road in a rainbow palette which leads visitors to the entrance. In the lobby visitors are greeted by a model of the Royal Pavilion painted a bold shade of orange, and an Yves Klein blue bust.

Inside the Pavilion unmissable artworks include an iridescent Bird of Paradise sculpture by Zack McLaughlin, a three-dimensional, multi-coloured paper flower sculpture by Karen Hsu and a bespoke golden dragon hat created by celebrated milliner Stephen Jones in response to the opulent gold and red interiors of the Red Drawing room.

Loske talks about King George IV’s love of gold: “(King) George loved gilding things. We have a complete set of the Coronation medals including the gold one. And here is an example of a piece of ornament from the banqueting room where you have a carmine beetle red.”

The exhibition’s piece de resistance dominates the exquisite Banqueting Room, transformed into a metaphorical feast of colour with a multi-coloured fantasy State banquet comprising jars of colour pigment juxtaposed with towering trifles, joyful jellies and specially designed plates based on historic colour theory books. Overall the effect is of a Regency-style Mad Hatter’s tea party. Some of the paint pigments–such as Lapuz Lazuli–are as valuable as gold and are on loan from the curator’s personal collection.

A display case in the exhibition is dedicated to original late 18th to mid-19th Century hand-coloured Treatise on colour by George Field–whose pigments and book ‘Chromatography for Artists’ were popular with the Pre-Raphaelite painters–and Mary Gartside, the first woman to publish a book on colour theory. Loske explains that the Gartside book is one of the most important historical objects in the exhibition: “Gartside’s books were in the library of George IV’s sisters and mother, so we know she was read by the Royal Family. She was a flower painter and in 1805 she came up with this book on colour, and in the second edition she called it a Colour Theory. It’s one of the rarest books on colour in book history.”

Another historically important object in the exhibition is a priceless yellow Chinese porcelain vase from the Royal Pavilion’s own collection, which is displayed in a room dedicated to the vivid yellows featured in the Pavilion’s interiors. Loske says: ““I think people interested in ceramics will absolutely love this. It’s so very special.”

The Pavilion’s collection includes rare Chinese porcelain pagodas–made circa 1800 in Jingdezhen, China during the Qing dynasty.

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Interactive Experiences and Events

Colour offers a range of interactive experiences for visitors of all ages. The Great Kitchen has been transformed into an engaging space where children can explore colour through playful activities. Additionally, the exhibition features a dynamic programme of events, including guided colour tours, hands-on workshops and interactive experiences.

Brighton & Hove Museums have programmed an eclectic series of educational and recreational events including an interactive play area for children in the Great Kitchen and concerts inspired by synaesthesia in the Music Room, which features a specially commissioned soundscape.

Loske gives a bit of insight into what to expect from the concert series: “We’re going to bring the King’s piano back in here and put on concerts where we play music of the period and also talk about synaesthesia. There’s been a long tradition of somehow seeing a correlation between music and colour. Artists like Whistler called all their paintings ‘Symphonies’ or ‘Harmonies’ of colour.”

A symphony of colour is a great way to describe this unmissable, uplifting exhibition.

COLOUR: A Chromatic Promenade through the Royal Pavilion is at Brighton Royal Pavilion until 19th October, 2025.