Unveiling the Art of Wallpaper: Exhibition at York Art Gallery

Name: Art of Wallpaper: Morris & Co. Exhibition
Start: 2024-09-27
End: 2025-02-23
Location: York Art Gallery

About

Date: 27 September 2024 – 23 February 2025

The Art of Wallpaper: Morris & Co. exhibition opened on Friday, 27 September at York Art Gallery, showcasing the archive of Morris & Co., the original home of the famed Arts & Crafts textile designer, William Morris. This major exhibition celebrates the designer’s innovative work, his enduring influence, and his legacy in UK wallpaper design. York is the first venue to host this touring exhibition, presented by Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh, in collaboration with Morris & Co.

Exhibition Highlights

New interpretations of William Morris’s iconic wallpaper designs.
Over 130 works from the Sanderson and Morris & Co. archives (1830s-1920s).
Rare Victorian designs, Japanese export wallpapers, and Victorian woodblocks.
Focus on William Morris’s influence as a designer, writer, poet, socialist, and environmentalist.
Original wallpaper samples and period-appropriate upholstered furniture in Morris & Co. fabrics.
Works by renowned 19th- and 20th-century designers such as Owen Jones, Dresser, Pugin, and C.F.A. Voysey.

About William Morris

William Morris (1834-1896) was a British craftsman and a pioneer of modern design. He began designing wallpapers in the 1860s, and within a decade, he created some of his most famous patterns, including ‘Larkspur’ and ‘Willow’. His works continue to inspire contemporary home interiors, and this exhibition explores his legacy as a figurehead of the Arts & Crafts Movement, advocating for beautiful, handcrafted designs in the face of mass industrialisation.

Key Contributors

Dr Helen Walsh, Curator of Ceramics at York Art Gallery, expressed excitement about bringing this exhibition to York, highlighting how Morris championed the importance of craft and worker’s rights. She noted Morris’s radical efforts to democratise good design for everyone.

Caitlin Stracey, Archive and Design Manager at Sanderson Design Group, discussed the exhibition’s exploration of changing design tastes from the mid-19th to early 20th century. She emphasised the rare opportunity to view original wallpapers and archival manufacturing logbooks from this influential period.

Programme

The exhibition will feature a programme of accompanying talks and demonstrations that delve deeper into Morris’s work and his influence on modern design.