67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 1
ST Y L E D BY D E S I G N
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 2
Kenneth Rowntree (1915 - 1997) Full Measure, 1957, Edinburgh Weavers Screen Printed on Cotton CrĂŞpe, 48 x 118 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 1
ST Y L E D BY D E S I G N 2017 Textile Visionaries of Modern Art
Gallery 8, 8 Duke Street St James’s, London SW1Y 6BN
3rd October 2017 By Appointment 4th – 7th October 2017 10.00am – 6.30pm
info@graymca.co.uk
www.graymca.co.uk GRAY M.C.A | 1
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 2
Introduction... ‘Styled by Design’ celebrates a moment in the evolution of British textiles when the divide between Fine and Decorative Arts was at last put to rest. Two key individuals, who understood the very DNA of textiles, would challenge the traditional design discipline and go on, in their own innovative ways, to revolutionise the partnership between the artist and the textile manufacturer. Their foresight would fuse, for the first time, Modern Art and textile design and bring Modern Art and Artist Textiles into the modern home as never before. It was rare for an artist, who considered himself a painter, to work with textiles other than on the very canvas he used to make his painting. Yet the rise of Modernism challenged these taboos and allowed artists to experiment in a new, versatile and exciting medium. Through the vision of Alistair Morton of Edinburgh Weavers, the Modernist painters William Scott and Alan Reynolds would produce rich textures as dramatic as any oil painting. Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth’s silkscreen designs for Zika and Lida Ascher of Ascher Ltd would hold the same subtle delicate beauty as any watercolour. The first move towards bridging the gap between the Fine and Decorative Arts began with The Arts and Crafts Movement of the late 19th and early 20th century when William Morris rejected the commercial production of textiles and returned to hand loom jacquard weaving. Roger Fry swiftly followed with his inspirational Omega Workshops. Though short-lived, between 1913 - 1919, the Omega Workshops were a laboratory of ideas that revolutionised British Art and Design. Textiles were only a part of Fry’s vision but nevertheless the Bloomsbury group’s Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell produced stunning designs for Omega of which ‘Maud’ by Vanessa Bell is a particularly fine and artistically important example and features in Fry’s 1917 oil painting of his lover Nina Hamnett. With these crucial first steps taken by Morris & Fry the door was now open for Edinburgh Weavers and Ascher Ltd to expand their vision into the latter 20th century and increasingly allow Modern Art to take centre stage in modern homes. Edinburgh Weavers was launched in 1928 as the creative powerhouse of Morton Sundour; one of Britain’s most important & influential textile businesses since the 1860s. Alistair Morton, appointed by James Morton his father, took the helm of this new creative studio in 1931, motivated to fuse Modern Art with textile design and keep it, crucially, in step with modern living. Working with some of the most exciting and powerful Modern artists of the period Ben Nicholson, William Scott, Keith Vaughan, Kenneth Rowntree, Alan Reynolds & Cecil Collins - a new dynamic direction was forged for British textiles and the name of Edinburgh Weavers. Fabric runs, using both traditional & more innovative modern fibres, were kept short and exclusive; thereby making them even more desirable and allowing the most modern homes to furnish their rooms with extraordinary and groundbreaking textile designs.
Richard Calvocoressi former Director of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, writing in 1978, encapsulated Morton’s unique talent. “Morton exhibited a quick and thorough understanding of the process of weaving, the construction of fabrics and the actual fibres themselves. His fascination with the surface of materials, the exciting contrasts of textural effects achieved by mixing different yarns, wool, silk, cotton, rayon and other synthetic materials became the hallmark of Edinburgh Weavers”. At the time of Morton’s death in 1963 it was widely recognised that he could interpret in fabric the full quality of an artist’s handwriting. Examples of The Edinburgh Weavers creative legacy are now held in the permanent collections of The V&A Museum. Working with the same passion, but with an alternative vision, were Czech émigrés Zika and Lida Asher. They were to become a dynamic addition to the creative drive behind post war London. Like Alistair Morton, Zika Ascher had grown up and worked with textiles, his family having run one of the most prestigious luxury fabric stores in Prague. Forced to flee the Nazi’s whilst on honeymoon, Zika and his wife Lida Ascher would bring new meaning to Artists Textiles by commissioning Modern artist’s fabrics for both interior and fashion. The celebrated Modern artist Henry Moore was the first of the Modern artists with whom Ascher Ltd struck up an immensely important and creative relationship. Ascher was greatly moved by the atmospheric power of Moore’s drawings exhibited at The National Gallery
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 3
...Introduction in 1941. The subject was Londoners sheltering from German bombing in the underground and titled ‘Shelter Drawings’. He immediately approached Moore with the idea of a commission for textile design. Moore was thrilled with the idea and by 1943 Asher was thumbing through four notebooks filled with striking and beautiful textile designs. Historian Fiona MacCarthy observed “There is a lightness, wit and humanism in Moore's outburst of designs for textiles in the middle of the war. Some of his sketchbook ideas for curtain fabrics, with their draped and huddled human forms, have a tendresse reminiscent of his wartime shelter drawings. He was always intrigued by the fluidity of folds. Repeat patterns based on clock faces, insect wings and safety pins, caterpillars, watering cans and piano keys: this is consciously the imagery of everyday life, post-war art for the people, dealing in shared memories.” Following the glittering launch of the Moore Textiles at The Dorchester in 1945, The London Illustrated News commented that women would be “blossoming out as walking art galleries.” The Moore & Ascher collaboration was a huge success with Moore’s textiles being seen worldwide from blockbuster Warner Bros movies in 1947 to models on La Croisette in 1948 in Cannes. Thirty of Moore’s drawings were used for fabric and four were produced as silk scarves. This led to further developments with the innovation of ‘Ascher Squares’ Commissions for a single drawing
to be produced in silk by Ben Nicholson, Felix Topolski, Graham Sutherland, Julian Trevelyan, John Piper, Barbara Hepworth along with Henri Matisse, Alexander Calder, André Derain, Jean Cocteau and Christian Bérard followed. These exquisite silk scarves were framed and presented at The Lefevre Gallery, London in 1947 as Art for the Home. The media reaction was so favourable that the entire collection went on tour to galleries in New York, Zurich, Sydney and Cape Town. While Edinburgh Weavers had remained broadly focused on innovative fabrics & Interiors, Ascher Ltd had broadened the horizon yet further and taken Artists Textiles out of the home and onto the streets with dramatic effect. Together Ascher and Morton truly lit the blue touch paper that allowed Modern artists to widen their scope and challenge their skill, thereby ultimately highlighting their work on a central stage in modern homes. The 1951 Festival of Britain celebrated and promoted the Modernist textiles to a watching world, encouraging Modern Art to feature in the home through interior design that complemented the architecture and mood of the day. This was further championed by Hans and Elsbeth Juda’s publication ‘The Ambassador’ which sponsored ‘Painting into Textiles’ at the ICA in October 1953 encouraging a further stable of the giants of Modern British Art together to produce work that could be used for textiles. The dark days of war were receding and colour, texture and originality were on the increase. Commissioning a Modern artist for textile designs became increasingly de rigueur. The Dovecot Studios launched during the hay-day of Morris’s Arts and Crafts also followed in the 1950s with commissions from Graham Sutherland, Henry Moore, Stanley Spencer, Cecil Beaton and John Piper. Latterly R.B Kitaj, Alan Davie, Patrick Caulfield all joined a distinguished list of artists commissioned to produce work expressly for textiles. Patrick Heron’s career as an artist was bolstered with his early work for his father who had founded Cresta Silks in 1929. Cresta would commission Paul Nash, Cedric Morris, Graham Sutherland and other artists to produce designs for textiles. John Piper having been inspired by Ascher continued to work with textile houses such as David Whitehead Ltd & Sanderson & Sons. Liberty and Heals would follow too, each commissioning the Modern artists to create visual masterpieces for new collections. Perhaps Henry Moore’s dynamic West Dean tapestries of the 70s & 80s were the ultimate tribute to William Morris’s greatest artistic desires. Today Modern British Art has never been in more demand, with prices rising ever higher. It is a great tribute to the post war textile visionaries of Modern Art that these now rare and powerful mid 20th century textiles are sort worldwide by collectors as beautiful and historically important works of art in their own right. ‘Styled by Design’ celebrates an age of innovation and seeks to demonstrate the power, splendour and atmosphere of these wider works of the Modern artists of the last century. Textiles have truly become a vital creative pillar in the story of Modern and Contemporary Art. Once again, when it comes to Artist Textiles, what is Modern has never been more Contemporary. Ashley Gray – Exhibition Curator – October 2017 GRAY M.C.A | 3
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 4
1
Alan Reynolds (1926 - 2014) Crystalline Image, 1961, Edinburgh Weavers, Jacquard Woven Cotton & Rayon, 112 x 117 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 5
2
Alan Reynolds (1926 - 2014) Weald, 1959, Edinburgh Weavers, Screen Printed Cotton Tweed, 88 x 114 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 5
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 6
3
George Campbell (1917 - 1979) Carrick (Blue), 1967, David Whitehead Ltd. Warp Faced Cotton, 46 x 60 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 7
4
Roland Jarvis (1916 - 2016) Taurus, 1957, Edinburgh Weavers, Screen Printed Cotton, 80 x 119 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 7
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 8
5
Ben Nicholson (1894 - 1992) Vertical, 1937, Edinburgh Weavers, Jacquard Woven Rayon, Cotton & Cotton Gimp, 26 x 30 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 9
6
John Piper (1903 - 1992) Arundel, 1959, Arthur Sanderson & Sons Ltd. Woven Linen, 89 x 117 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 9
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 10
7
John Piper (1903 - 1992) Brittany (Blue), 1968, David Whitehead Ltd. Screen Printed Satinised Cotton, 104 x 118 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 11
8
John Piper (1903 - 1992) Stones of Bath (Blue), 1962, Arthur Sanderson & Sons Ltd. Screen Printed Sanderlin, 103 x 117 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 11
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 12
9
William Scott (1913 - 1989) Skaill (Yellow), 1959, Edinburgh Weavers, Jacquard Woven Wool, 118 x 213 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 13
10 Ben Nicholson (1894 - 1982) Wassail, 1956, Edinburgh Weavers, Screen Printed Cotton CrĂŠpe, 99 x 114 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 13
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 14
11 Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976) La Mer, 1947, Ascher Studio, c1985, Screen Printed Silk Twill, 88 x 88 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 15
12 Alan Reynolds (1926 - 2014) Legend, 1963, Edinburgh Weavers, Screen Printed Cotton Satin, 64 x 121 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 15
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 16
13 Henry Moore (1898 - 1986) Reclining Figures, 1944, Ascher Ltd. Serigraphy 6 Colours Cotton, 50 x 48 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 17
14 Henry Moore (1898 - 1986) Fern Leaves & Palm Leaves, 1946, Ascher Ltd. Serigraphy 3 Colours Crépe Silk, 27.5 x 17 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 17
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 18
15 Paul Follet (1877 - 1941) Abstract Textile, 1926, Hand Blocked Printed Cotton Velvet, 57 x 46 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 19
16 Henry Moore (1898 - 1986) Four Heads, Half Figures & Animal, 1946, Ascher Ltd. Serigraphy 7 Colours Silk, 25 x 44 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 19
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 20
17 Cecil Collins (1908 - 1989) The Herdsman, 1956, Edinburgh Weavers, Screen Printed Cotton, 130 x 116 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 21
18 Marino Marini (1901 - 1980) Carvallo, 1959, Edinburgh Weavers, Jacquard Woven Spun Rayon, Denier Rayon & Cotton, 85 x 109 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 21
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 22
19 Edwardo Paolozzi (1924 - 2005) Collage Elements, 1952, David Whitehead Ltd. Screen Printed Rayon, 35 x 53 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 23
20 Keith Vaughan (1912 - 1977) Fishermen, 1956, Edinburgh Weavers, Screen Printed Cotton CrĂŠpe, 79 x 113 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 23
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 24
21 Ben Nicholson (1894 - 1982) Moonlight, 1947, Ascher Studio, Screen Printed in Colours Printed on Woven Silk, Numbered 213/225, 101.5 x 101.5 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 25
22 Barbara Hepworth (1903 - 1975) Landscape Sculpture, 1947, Ascher Studio, Screen Printed in Colours Printed on Woven Silk, Numbered 49/175, 88 x 88 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 25
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 26
23 Graham Sutherland (1903 - 1980) Trellis, 1946, Ascher Studio, Screen Printed Silk Twill for Graham Sutherland Gallery, Picton Castle, c1970, 90 x 90 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 27
24 Gerald Wilde (1905 - 1986) Untitled, 1947, Ascher Studio, Screen Printed, Silk Twill Crepe, 85 x 88 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 27
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 28
25 Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963) Visage, 1947, Ascher Studio, Screen Printed in Colours c1970, Ivory Silk, 87 x 93 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 29
26 Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963) Visage, 1947, Ascher Studio, Screen Printed in Colours c1970, Silk Crepe, 85 x 89 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 29
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 30
27 Fernand Léger (1881 - 1955) Peace Scarf, c1950, Printed Cotton, 76 x 88 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 31
28 Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973) Congrés Des Peuples Pour La Paix, Vienna, 1952, Printed Cotton, 74 x 81 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 31
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 32
29 Patrick Heron (1920 - 1999) Tate Gallery, 1979, Screen Printed, Silk Scarf Square, 87 x 87 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 33
30 Patrick Heron (1920 - 1999) St Ives, 1948 Design For Cresta Silks, 1985, Alexander MacIntyre Silk for Tate St Ives, 75 x 79 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 33
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 34
31 Kimvi Nguyen (1982 - ) Selvedge, 2015, Inigo Scout Textiles, Woven Staubi Jacquard Lambswool, 150 x 180 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 35
32 Alice Hebdon (1986 - ) Untitled, 2017, Hand Dyed Linen, 30 x 40 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 35
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 36
33 Tim Robinson (1949 - ) Shore, 2015, Inigo Scout Textiles, Woven Staubi Jacquard Lambswool, 150 x 180 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 37
34 Daisy Ellis (1989 - ) Ethereal, 2014, Digital Print Silk Organza, 117 x 67 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 37
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 38
35 Vivienne Westwood (1941 - ) Stars, c1970s, Textile Wall Hanging, 102 x 102 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 39
36 Olga Nikich (1969 - ) Tractor, 2015, Limited Edition Silk Twill, 90 x 90 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 39
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 40
37 Mekala Bahl (1980 - ) Hair, 2015, Etching, Block Print, Chine Colle on Quiltied Raw (Tassar) Silk, 25 x 25 cm
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 41
38 Zandra Rhodes (1940 - ) Ayres Rock, 1977, Screen Print in Two Colours on Paper, Signed and Inscribed, 128 x 120 cms
GRAY M.C.A | 41
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 42
39 Richard Allan (1932 - 1994) Manhattan, 2017, Silk Twill Scarf, Limited Edition, 86.5 x 86.5 cms
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 43
40 Cressida Bell (1959 - ) Fireworks, 2017, Mixed Media on Paper, 70 x 66 cm
GRAY M.C.A | 43
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 44
The Designers... Richard Allan
Cressida Bell
Horrockses
Established in 1962, Richard Allan gained a reputation as an innovative producer of silk scarves in bold, abstract designs with distinct, offbeat colours, as well as striking monochromes. In his first year he sold 50,000 scarves. Based at 87 Duke Street Mayfair, Richard Allen became a household name. His groundbreaking designs and use of colour were perfect for the Swinging Sixties, but he also maintained a firm focus on classically elegant scarves sold from London’s iconic stores – Fenwick, Fortnum & Mason, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Liberty, Selfridges as well as selling globally. His collaborations included Schiaparelli and Yves St Laurent. The scarves were used in many film and television productions of the era – Diana Rigg wore Richard Allan scarves in the popular 1960s television series The Avengers.
Cressida Bell is a British designer specialising in textiles and interiors. From her London studio she produces a wide range of products including accessories for men and women and artefacts for the home. She also undertakes the production of many bespoke items from stationery and illustration to murals, carpets and furnishing fabrics. Cressida Bell set up her company in 1984 on leaving the Royal College of Art. She previously studied in the fashion department of St Martin’s School of Art in its 1980s heyday. Her work is known for its uncompromisingly decorative nature and its independence from mainstream fashion. There is an undoubted influence from her well known Bloomsbury Group forebears (Quentin Bell was her father and Vanessa Bell her grandmother); but it is not an all pervading one and she has forged her own very individual style over the last 25 years.
Originally formed in 1791 in Preston Lancashire by the locally renowned John Horrocks. His brother Samuel took over on John’s death in 1840. The Company changed hands several times over the next 50 years and by the early and mid 1900s was one of the most respected in the British textile industry. Horrockes Fashions was by the 1940s & 50s considered the epitome of style and sophistication. Horrockses Fashions was also a high street pioneer, closely following the Parisian and London couture shows and maintaining fabric exclusives on their prints to maintain a sense of high fashion credibility whilst keeping prices low. The 1950s saw pioneering designs for fabrics by the likes of Eduardo Paolozzi.
Ascher Ltd Founded in 1942 by Zika and Lida Ascher. They settled in Britain after the annexation of Czechoslovakia and immediately set to work with Modernist designs. The collaboration with Henry Moore for designs for couture and furnishing designs led to the famous Ascher Silk Squares, commissioned from many of the great Modern artists of the period from Piper and Matisse to Cocteau and Beaton. The Leferve Gallery in its 1947 exhibition of the Ascher Silks excelled at putting Artist Textiles firmly on the map. Ascher continued to develop fabrics, particularly focused for the couture market. They were the creators of hand-tufted mohair that was used to huge effect in Balenciaga’s A/W 64 collection. Within the industry Ascher was known for exacting quality & innovative design and the creative legacy remains today.
Heal Fabrics Ltd Founded in 1941 as part of the successful furniture and furnishing store Heal & Son Ltd. The shop itself had since 1810 been at the cutting edge of contemporary design and was at the center of the Arts & Crafts Movement. Post World War II, Heal Fabrics Ltd under the direction of Tom Worthington looked to the art schools for designers. In 1959 production was upgraded and mechanised to allow for more extensive runs. The 1960s saw Heals at the forefront of avant-guard designers such as Lucienne Day and Barbara Brown. With great foresight Heals also purchased one of Zandra Rhodes’s 1964 graduate show designs, which went into production in the mid 1960s to enormous success.
Inigo Scout Textiles Established as an inspiring social enterprise in 2016. Inigo Scout commissioned three contemporary artists to produce work to be manufactured as textile art using the 200 year old Johnstons of Elgin’s mill in Scotland, known for its stunning woven lambs wool with striking depth of colour and quality of weave. The contemporary art works themselves are in a limited edition of 60 and all signed within the weave by the artist. “Selvedge” by Vietnamese artist Kimvi Nguyen was inspired by the warp and weft of Japanese denim; “Shore” by British artist Tim Robinson features waves lapping on the pebbly Aldeburgh coast where the artist has a studio; and “Microscopic” by Tim Fishlock is based on the appearance of wool fibres viewed through a microscope. These large textiles are blanket art and can be hung on walls in any interior.
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 45
The Designers... Liberty & Co Ltd
Arthur Sanderson & Sons Ltd
David Whitehead Ltd
Founded in 1875 by Arthur Lasenby Liberty after a £2000 loan from his father-in-law, Liberty swiftly became the hallmark for the exotic; the place for objects d’art, fabric and ornaments from the Far East. By 1884 it had become a leading follower of both the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts movement and was greatly favoured by the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. From the beginning textiles were close to Liberty’s heart with the latest silks from India and beyond always on display. In the 1920s it underwent a Tudor Revival, the thought of which used to send Nikolaus Pevsner into apoplexy. Throughout its history it has continually commissioned designs from both young and established artists and furniture makers as well as students from the Royal College of Art.
Founded in 1860 by Arthur Sanderson an importer and manufacturer of wallpaper based in Chiswick. In 1881 his three sons Harold, John and Arthur Bengough joined the business naming it Arthur Sanderson & Sons. In the 1890s, a further four storey factory in Chiswick was built. To service demand, freelance designers launched the ‘Sanderson Bloomsbury Canvas Wallpaper Collection’ inspired from the creative output of the talented artists and designers of the time. From 1919, Sanderson produced its own range of fabrics known as “Eton Rural Fabrics’. It was also during this era that the designers in the Sanderson Studio had inspiration to create the ‘Sanderson, A Painters Garden Wallpaper’. In 1946, Sanderson was represented in the Victoria and Albert Museum at the ‘Britain Can Make It’ exhibition. Post war artists such as Edward Bawden & Humphrey Spender were commissioned but predominantly designs came from their in-house design studio. The 1950s saw the firm develop its tradition as an importer of foreign manufacturers textiles by including work from Frank Lloyd Wright and Picasso. To celebrate its 1960 centenary further modern artists were commissioned.
Established in 1927 as a subsidiary of the Whitehead Group the studio initially produced rather conservative textiles. Post World War II, Whitehead became fully modernised and able to produce contemporary fabrics in volume. Under the guidance of John Murray, the company rebranded itself and commissioned the latest young contemporary designers and artists from a young Terrance Conran, Marian Mahler and Jacqueline Groag to artists such as John Piper and Roger Nicholson. Murray’s commissions were particularly celebrated at the 1951 Festival of Britain with 20 fabrics being selected - more than any of its competitors. Tom Mellor succeeded Murray and built on his legacy commissioning Henry Moore, Paule Vezelay, Donald Hamilton Fraser & William Scott for ‘Whitehead’s Contemporary Furnishings’ in 1955. Louis le Borocquy joined the stable in the late 1950s for their Iberia range. The 60s saw a move away from artist’s textiles to more technical designs by the in-house studio designers aimed for the mass market. The final David Whitehead Ltd exhibition was the 1969 Living Art Exhibition and once again returned to Modern artists such as John Pakenham, Edward Paolozzi, Sandra Blow, George Campbell and John Piper for their inspiration. The Company was finally taken over by Lonrho in 1971.
Omega Workshops Established by painter and critic Roger Fry in 1913, Omega brought the Bloomsbury group work of Duncan Grant, Venessa Bell along with work from Wyndham Lewis, Fredrick Etchells and Henri Gaudier-Brzeska into the home through designs for rugs, linen, furniture and clothing. The great artists of the day were introduced by Fry to clients including E.M. Foster, HG Wells, Virginia Woolf, Lady Ottoline Morrell and Maud Cunard. All the designs were unsigned by the artists and bore the Greek letter Omega to signify their provenance from the workshop. The powerful abstract designs created by contemporary artists of the day revolutionized interior design during the workshops short life between 1913 & 1919. Fry is credited as being a powerful force in removing the division between the fine and decorative arts.
Zandra Rhodes Graduated from The Royal College of Art in 1964 & opened her first shop ‘The Fulham Road Clothes Shop’ with fashion designer Sylvia Ayton. In 1969 she set up on her own, her first New York collection leading to sales at Henri Bendel, Sakowitz, Neiman Marcus and Saks. Awarded British Designer of the Year in 1972 and in 1974 Royal Designer for Industry. In 1975 she opened on Bond Street continuing to clothe and design for the rich and famous around the world from royalty to rock stars. In 2003 Zandra set up the Fashion & Textile Museum. In 1997 she was made a Commander of the British Empire in recognition of her contribution to fashion and textiles and in 2014 she was made a Dame.
Edinburgh Weavers Established in 1928 as an experimental branch of Morton Sundour Fabrics. The studio was initially in Edinburgh but relocated to Carlisle in 1930. Alastair Morton, a painter himself, commissioned some of the greatest Modern artists to produce drawings for textile production. He had also studied weaving along side Ethel Mairet so had first hand experience of the complexities of hand weaving. The Edinburgh Weavers ‘Constructivist’ range launched in October 1937 fused artists and textiles to dramatic effect. This paved the way for a fresh and innovative approach to textile design. From the 1930s to the 1960s Morton’s Edinburgh Weavers commissioned the great Modern artists of the day. No one played a more central role in the development of Artist Textiles.
Vivienne Westwood Vivienne Westwood began designing in 1971 with Malcolm McLaren at 430 Kings Road, London. It was in 1976 when Westwood and McLaren defined the street culture of Punk with Seditionaries. By the end of the 70s Vivienne Westwood was a major symbol of the British avant-garde. She showed her first catwalk presentation in 1981. In 2004 the V&A hosted a Vivienne Westwood retrospective exhibition to celebrate her 34 years in fashion – the largest exhibition ever devoted to a living British fashion designer. In 2006, she was appointed Dame of the British Empire and in 2007 was awarded the Outstanding Achievement in Fashion at the British Fashion Awards in London.
GRAY M.C.A | 45
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 46
The Artists... Mekhala Bahl (1980 - )
Daisy Ellis (1989 - )
Roland Jarvis (1924 - 2016)
Trained at the College of Art Delhi and then at Rhode Island School of Art & Design until 2003. Her practice involves primarily printmaking and painting, using material as diverse as silk, wood, plastic and paper. She creates endless possibilities blurring and divesting watertight categories of their legitimacy. She has worked and exhibited in Italy, France, Japan and America.
Studied Textile Design at Leeds University and graduated with a First Class BA (Hons) in Textile design from the Royal College of Art. She has worked for a number of leading textile firms and work is held in private collections in the UK and Europe.
Born in France to a French mother and English father. Jarvis was educated at Guilford Technical Collage & Kings College London 1945-51. Studied at Chelsea College under Ceri Richards 1954-56. Lived in Paris from 1956-59. Taught at Watford, Camberwell, Kingston and Brighton College. Exhibited at the Royal Academy, Victoria & Albert Museum and the Towner Gallery, Eastbourne. Lived in Hastings where he was renown as a designer of astronomical clocks. His Edinburgh Weavers commission ‘Taurus’ was hung on the P&O London - Sydney Liner SS Oriana, launched in 1959.
Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976) Born in the USA and renowned for his mobile moving sculptures. Initially studied engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey in 1915 and later in New York at the Art Students League. In the 1920s he settled in Paris and studied at the Academie de la Chaumiere. Returned to the US in 1933 to live in Connecticut. His mobiles developed throughout the 1930s, exhibiting at Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne in 1937. His work became much larger in the 1940s & 50s and became a feature in many public places in the US, Canada, France and Mexico. Bent Propeller was destroyed in the 9/11 attack in New York. His work is held in National Museums and Galleries world-wide. Commission by Zika Ascher in 1947 to produce ‘Le Mer’ they remained lifelong friends.
George Campbell (1917 - 1979) Born in County Wicklow and educated in Dublin, Belfast, Paris & London. First exhibited at Mol Gallery, Belfast in 1944 and in 1947 at the Royal Hibernian Academy. Settled and painted in Spain for 25 years. Worked in watercolour, oils, and stained glass. Textile design for David Whitehead Ltd.
Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963) Born in Maisons-Laffitte near Paris. Published his first book at 19 and moved in the highest artistic circles. Writer, playwright, artist and filmmaker. His support of avant-garde art was of great influence. Provided surrealist designs for friend and neighbour couturier Charles James and Ascher Ltd.
Cecil Collins (1908 - 1989) Born in Plymouth. Attended Plymouth School of Art 1923-27 and the Royal College of Art 1927-31. Taught at Dartington Hall, Devon and Central School of Art, London. Later moved to Cambridge. Tate retrospective 1981. Textile commissions for British Embassy Washington D.C. Chichester Cathedral & design drawings for Edinburgh Weavers.
Paul Follet (1877 - 1941) Born in Paris. Son of the wallpaper manufacturer Felix Follot. Initially a sculptor he moved on to creating decorative Art Noveau works in silver, bronze, jewelry and textiles. Destined to become one of the leaders of the Art Deco Movement in furniture and textile design.
Alice Hebdon (1986 - ) Textile artist, MA Fashion and Textile Design at the Glasgow School of Art. BA (Hons) in Design for Performance at Central St Martins. 10 years working in opera, theatre and film including textile artist and dyer for Game of Thrones & Outlander. Specialises in hand painted textiles & dye techniques to create pieces on Scottish linen, treated and sanded back to create a delicate and aged texture, providing a distinctive contrast to her bold mark making. Inspired by the expressive artists such as Rothko & Joan Eardley.
Barbara Hepworth (1903 - 1975) Born in Wakefield Yorkshire. Won a scholarship to Leeds School of Art in 1920 and later the Royal School of Art. Traveled with John Skeaping to Florence in 1924 where she studied under master sculptor Giovanni Ardini. In 1933 spent time with Ben Nicolson in France and met Picasso. Moved to St Ives in 1939. Between 1947 and 1949 completed the hospital drawings series. In 1950 exhibited at the Venice Biennale. Produced textile drawings for Edinburgh Weavers and Ascher Ltd.
Patrick Heron (1920 - 1999) Born in Leeds, brought up in Yorkshire, Cornwall and Hertfordshire. Produced textile designs for his father’s company Cresta Silks. Attended The Slade School of Art. Exhibited at The Redfern from 1947-1958. Moved to St Ives in 1956. Retrospective at the Tate in 1998. Textile designs for The Tate and David Whithead Ltd.
Fernand Léger (1881 - 1955) Born in Lower Normandy. Attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and Academie Julian, France. Early work influenced by the Impressionists. Work became more geometric and abstract. Taught in Paris and the USA. Commissions included murals, stained glass and textiles.
Marino Marini (1901 - 1980) Born in Pistoia, Italy. Studied at the Academy of Fine Art in Florence. Initially a painter, turned to sculpture in the late 1920s. Taught at The School of Art Villa Reale near Milan 1929 - 40. Professor of Sculpture at Brera Academy, Milan from 1940 - 70. His modernist equestrian work was particularly respected. Exhibited internationally including MOMA in New York. Textile drawings for Edinburgh Weavers.
Henry Moore (1898 - 1986) Born in Yorkshire. Educated at Leeds School of Art and The Royal College of Art, London. Celebrated sculptor and painter. Official War Artist and produced a series of the London Underground in the Blitz 1941. First exhibited in 1928 at the Warren Gallery in London. Exhibited worldwide and was given a Retrospective at MOMA in 1946. Worked with Ascher Ltd, David Whitehead Ltd
Ben Nicholson (1894 - 1992) Born in Buckinghamshire, son of William Nicholson. Attended Slade School of Art. Inspired by the post Impressionists and Cubists. Moved to Cornwall in 1939 in the early stages of his constructivist work. Textile drawings for Edinburgh Weavers.
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 47
The Artists... Olga Nikich (1969 - )
Edwardo Paolozzi (1924 - 2005)
Graham Sutherland (1903 - 1980)
Born in Moscow. Nikich attended the Moscow Institute of Art and Technology earning a degree in Art and Design. She worked for a number of leading graphic design studios and produced work for events sponsored by the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation. She established her own brand in 2011 and in 2012 won the converted first prize in the German Art Week International Competition. Her textiles are available in the fashionable Moscow store GUM and were selected for London Fashion Week in February 2017.
Born in Leith in Scotland. Attended Edinburgh College of Art in 1943, St Martins School of Art in 1944 and The Slade until 1947 when he moved to France. Influenced by Giacometti, Braque and Leger, he returned to London and worked from a studio in Chelsea. In the mid 1950s he moved to Essex and produced textiles, wallpaper and ceramics. His Collage Elements were a commission for David Whitehead Ltd from this period. Increasingly drawn to the Pop Art movement he taught in Hamburg in the early 1960s and at Berkeley in the late 1960s before returning to teach at the Royal College of Art. In the 1970s he taught in Berlin, Cologne and Munich. He is considered as one of the pioneers of the ‘Pop’ movement and as one of the most innovative and irreverent artists of the 20th century. Produced couture textiles for John Tullis and interior textiles for David Whitehead Ltd.
Born in Streatham London. Initially encouraged to study engineering he finally succeeded in transferring to Goldsmiths School of Art in 1921. His atmospheric landscape work was exhibited in the 1930s in the International Surrealist Exhibition. He worked in glass design, textiles and poster design in the 1930s and made his first visit to Pembrokeshire. Appointed war artist during WWII working in Wales and London. He taught at Goldsmiths between 1947 and 1960. During the mid 1940s and 1950s he was commissioned for both modern religious work and portraiture and a major textile commission for Coventry Cathedral. Regularly commissioned for textile design for couture by Horrocks, by Edinburgh Weavers and Ascher Ltd.
Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973) Born in Malaga, Spain, son of an art teacher. Spent his early years between France and Spain finally basing himself in Paris in 1904, creating work recognised as the Rose and Blue periods. Pioneered Cubism with George Braque in 1912. Developed many styles, including Surrealism. A renowned pacifist, he was deeply committed to the peace movements. Designed textiles in the 1950s & 60s for Fuller Fabrics, USA, Institute of Contemporary Art, Bloomcraft Fabrics & The Peace Movement.
John Piper (1903 - 1992) Born in Epsom. Attended Richmond School of Art and Royal College of Art. Early abstract work that turned increasingly to landscape painting. War Artist. Tate retrospective 1983. Textile design for Asher Ltd, David Whitehead Ltd, Arthur Sandersons & Sons Ltd & Chichester Cathedral.
Kimvi Nguyen (1982 - ) Born in Bangor, North Wales and raised in Southampton. A Fine Art graduate of Southampton University & Winchester School of Art. She has served as Artist in Residence in the UK, Morocco and Russia and has exhibited regularly in the UK and overseas.
Alan Reynolds (1926 - 2014) Born in Suffolk. Attended Woolwich Polytechnic School of Art following WWII. Exhibited with the London Group 1950-51 and at The Redfern in 1952-53. Won a Royal School of Art scholarship. Taught at Central School of Art and Design and later at St Martin’s School of Art. Textile drawings for Edinburgh Weavers.
Tim Robinson (1946 - ) Attended Hornsey School of Art in the 1960s. Worked in advertising from 1967 -1973. Art Director for Ogilvy-Mather's Australian office. Trained in Fine Art Conservation. Returned to painting and exhibited throughout the UK. Textile commissions for Inigo Scout Textiles in 2016. He holds an annual exhibition in Aldeburgh and has work in the permanent collection of the Houses of Parliament.
William Scott (1913 - 1989) Born in Scotland, educated at Belfast School of Art & The Royal Academy School, London. Taught at Bath Academy of Art Corsham & Hamburg Academy, Germany. Exhibited at The Hanover Gallery & retrospective at the Tate Gallery 1972. Textile commissions include Edinburgh Weavers and David Whitehead Ltd.
Keith Vaughan (1912 - 1977) Born in West Sussex, educated at Christ Hospital School. Self-taught as an artist. A conscientious objector he worked as an interpreter in a prison of war camp in Yorkshire during WWII. Close friends with Graham Sutherland and John Minton. Influenced by William Blake, Cezanne and Matisse. After the war travelled extensively and taught at Iowa State University, USA and at Camberwell and The Slade, London. Elected a fellow of The Royal College of Art, 1964. Textile drawings for Edinburgh Weavers.
Gerald Wilde (1905 - 1986) Born in London. Chelsea School of Art 192631 and 1932-34 under Percy Hague Jowett and H S Williamson. In 1935 begins life long friendship with Henry Moore. Held his first one man show at the Hanover Gallery in 1948. A major retrospective was held in 1955 at the ICA. His textural abstract expressionist work drew on the influences of similar work in the US and Europe. A contemporary of Sutherland and Bacon. Commissioned for textile work by Ascher Ltd.
GRAY M.C.A | 47
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 48
“Nowhere is there such a range of textures and colours available as in textiles. …where can you find qualities as rich as wool or silk, or as austere as linen, or as simple as cotton? Modern painters should really work in textiles….” Alastair Morton, Contemporary Design in Furnishing Textiles, 1961
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 49
Published by Gray M.C.A
•
info@graymca.co.uk
•
www.graymca.co.uk
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from Gray M.C.A Ltd
Designed and Printed by Shelleys The Printers, Sherborne
67130 Gray gc.qxp_Layout 1 02/08/2017 09:09 Page 50
www.graymca.co.uk