Vanbrugh: The Drama of Architecture

300 years after his death, a major new exhibition exploring one of the UK's greatest architects - Sir John Vanbrugh (1664–1726) – is now open at Sir John Soane's Museum. Hailed as ' The Rockstar of the English Baroque' and 'The original starchitect' , Vanbrugh designed some of the UK's most admired and loved country houses, including Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard, with each one featuring his signature ability to exploit the emotional impact of architecture by making exciting and dramatic use of light and shadow, recessions and projections. Sir John Soane (1753-1837) cited Vanbrugh as one of his great influences, remarking that he had " all the fire and power of Michelangelo and Bernini". Curated by Sir Charles Saumarez Smith CBE and architect Roz Barr, the exhibition features never-before-exhibited drawings from the V&A and Sir John Soane's Museum, including many in Vanbrugh's own hand, and is an opportunity to see a selection of Vanbrugh's drawings for major projects like Castle Howard, but also smaller, more experimental plans for schemes such as the housing estate he envisaged at Greenwich. Perhaps overshadowed by contemporaries Nicholas Hawksmoor and Sir Christopher Wren, the emotional impact and imagination of Vanbrugh has continued to be admired, particularly by architects, in the centuries since. The exhibition highlights Vanbrugh's enduring architectural ideas and influence, including on two of the most influential architects of the 20th century, Robert Venturi (1925-2018) and Denise Scott Brown (b.1931). A new short film by filmmakers Anita Naughton and Jim Venturi, their son, explores this connection and will be shown on loop in the Museum's Foyle Space. The exhibition is part of the #VANBRUGH300 celebrations organised by The Georgian Group, which will include events and activities across the year at six of the architect's most significant creations.