CABINET OF WONDERS

Viktor Wynd
Prestel, 2014

'Viktor Wynd's gallery and shop in East London is arranged with the sensibility of a 17th-century Wunderkabinett. It displays and sells an eccentric and seemingly random collection of objects - everything from shrunken heads to narwhal tusks, united only by the sense of wonder they inspire in their curator. Now, Wynd takes readers on a tour of homes, private collections and museums that share his fondness for things arcane, desiccated, antique, or just plain odd. The book visits rarefied locations lovingly curated to by dilettantes, bohemians and artists: from David McKinley's rambling Devon farmhouse and its historic taxidermy to an Italianate villa in East London built near tower blocks; to the House of Dreams Museum and artist Marcelle Hanselaar's studio. It also includes advice on how to start a collection of your own, covering details on auction houses, private dealers, flea markets and fairs, and shows that having distinctive taste does not necessarily require a massive budget. Designed in a style that reflects its author's delightfully idiosyncratic perspective and with illustrations by the Theatre of Dolls, and photography by Oskar Proctor, this book is dedicated to collecting the wonders of the world.'

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Cabinet of Wonders, Viktor Wynd - Photography by Oskar Proctor