WHAT?  Fanciful Figures 

WHERE?  Sir John Soane’s Museum, 13 Lincoln’s In Fields, London WC2A 3BP

WHEN?  Now until 9th June 

WHY GO?  To appreciate the art of architecture.  Every building tells a story, past and present. Today’s architects use fashionable figures to illustrate their drawings, to seduce and captivate prospective purchasers, who might imagine themselves in such stylish scenarios. 

Yesteryear’s Georgians, for much the same reason, also used miniature figures to set the scene, whether by adding landed gentry to stately homes or coachmen in carriages to municipal buildings.

Either way, the insiders term is ‘staffage’ and it’s as important now as it was then to illustrate how a finished project might be utilised and see beyond the bricks and mortar.  

Indeed, the great architect Soane himself, relied heavily on staffage to secure commissions and realise his ambitious plans.  Much of the artwork in this splendid first-ever exhibition on the subject is curated from his extensive archive. 

“Without the figures, it’s just beige, beige, beige”, says the museum’s curator of Drawings and Books, Frances Sands. 

These architectural drawings are wonderful artworks in their own right.  The inclusion of staffage paints a vibrant picture of cultural demographics adding charm with a fanciful flourish. 

IN THE KNOW  Who better than today’s architects themselves to reflect on why representing figures in their drawings are important?

Listen online to conversations with architects from four prominent practices who collectively work across a variety of different environmental and private commissions and share their aspirations for creating engaging projects.