Britain was at the forefront of international textile design in the 1950s and 1960s. The art of textile design radically changed after the Second World War and three women artists working in England in the 1950s were pivotal in this artistic revolution. Join Head of Exhibitions Dennis Nothdruft as he explores how the drab days of the War were transformed by the fresh, progressive designs of Lucienne Day (1917–2010), Jacqueline Groag (1903-86) and Marian Mahler (1911-83).
Through this online talk, Dennis will reflect upon the exhibition Designing Women: Post-war British Textiles which was originally held at the museum in 2012. He will discuss the artists’ bold abstract patterns, as well as the use of saturated colour, and talk about how these designs marked a dramatic departure from conventional furnishing fabrics. Hear how this new wave of bold textile designs, helped to bring the influences of the art world and largely abstract forms, into the contemporary home.
This is a recording of the online event, Designing Women: Post-War British Textiles, which originally took place on Friday 7 May 2021 via Microsoft Teams.
About the speaker
Dennis Nothdruft is Head of Exhibitions at the Fashion and Textile Museum. He has led the exhibitions team at the Museum since it was founded by Zandra Rhodes in 2003 and previously spent many years working as a design assistant in Zandra Rhodes studios in both San Diego and London. He has lectured widely on many aspects of fashion and textiles and has authored several books including Zandra Rhodes: 50 Fabulous Years in Fashion, How to Draw Like a Fashion Designer, How to Draw Vintage Fashion and Kaffe Fassett: the Artist’s Eye.