Celebrating the British Museum: John Maine's anniversary
medal
15 January – 15 June 2003
Room 69a
Exhibition closed
The British Museum, founded in 1753, celebrates its 250th
anniversary in 2003. As part of its anniversary celebrations, the
Museum has commissioned a medal to commemorate this historic
occasion. This medal, by the distinguished British sculptor and
Royal Academician John Maine, forms the centrepiece of this
exhibition. John Maine's medal design was selected from drawings
submitted by four contemporary British artists in a competition
organised by the British Museum. The designs of the other three
artists, Stephen Cox, Cathy de Monchaux and Tom Phillips, RA, also
feature in this exhibition.
The square, the circle and the triangle of John Maine's
anniversary medal suggest the simple geometry underpinning the
culturally diverse objects within the collections of the museum. On
one side the implied cubic form encircled by the border of the
medal evokes an object within the Museum's care; such objects have
been at the core of the Museum's activities for two hundred and
fifty years. On the other side an allusion to the spectacular roof
of the Great Court points to the present and future of the
Museum.
Image: Front of the 250th Anniversary
Medal