A major London exhibition is coming to Scotland.
New Lanark World Heritage Site will be hosting London’s Fashion and Textile Museum’s international travelling exhibition Artist Textiles – Picasso to Warhol will be hosted there from January 26 – April 29 in its new exhibition gallery.
This touring display from the Fashion and Textile Museum, London traces the history of 20th century art in textiles. Highlights include work by Georges Braque, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dalí, Sonia Delaunay, Raoul Dufy, Barbara Hepworth, Fernand Léger, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Henry Moore, Pablo Picasso, Ben Nicholson and Andy Warhol.
Artist Textiles – Picasso to Warhol has toured internationally since 2014, visiting London, the Netherlands, Canada and the USA, making its return to the UK in 2018 at New Lanark World Heritage Site.
Artist Textiles shows how ordinary people were once able to engage with modern art in a personal and intimate way through their clothing and home furnishings.
The exhibition features examples of key European and American art movements: Fauvism, Cubism, Constructivism, Abstraction, Surrealism and Pop Art; as well as the work of leading fashion designers and manufacturers.
A highlight of Artist Textiles is work by Pablo Picasso
With over 200 rare pieces, many of which have not been on public display before, including some of iconic British designer Zandra Rhodes personal collection.
Curator Dennis Nothdruft from the Fashion and Textile Museum, who developed the exhibition, said: ‘This exhibition highlights the importance of the textile industry in the dissemination and promotion of contemporary art. Manufacturers and mills had the foresight to work with painters and sculptors to develop beautiful fabrics that democratized modern art for the masses.’
Behind the scenes, the stunning scenery and breath-taking views at New Lanark World Heritage Site offer a tremendous backdrop for the exhibition. A former 18th century cotton spinning mill village, founded by David Dale and Richard Arkwright in 1785, its history transports visitors back to the height of the cotton spinning industry.
Evelyn Whitelaw, New Lanark Trust’s events and exhibitions officer, who is working with the team from London to coordinate the exhibition, said: ‘We hope that this exhibition will allow visitors to learn more about the resurgence of the textile sector. We will be holding Printmaking workshops and will be launching a ‘textile design competition’ to engage and develop design skills within the community in due course.’
Artist Textiles is coming to New Lanark
Scott McCauley, New Lanark Trust chief executive, added: ‘we are very proud that Artist Textiles – Picasso to Warhol will make its Scottish debut at New Lanark in 2018, officially launching New Lanark’s brand new Temporary Exhibition Gallery.
‘This bespoke exhibition space will be housed within one of New Lanark’s 18th century cotton mill buildings which is also home to New Lanark’s woollen yarn production. We hope that hosting Artist Textiles will begin a flourishing relationship with the Fashion and Textile Museum, giving visitors to New Lanark and the local community a chance to see some truly fantastic designs on their doorstep.’
Located on the banks of the Falls of Clyde just under one hour from Glasgow and Edinburgh, New Lanark gained international fame under the enlightened management of Robert Owen and was a successful spinning centre until its closure in 1968.
New Lanark village is now owned and operated by New Lanark Trust, a registered Scottish charity who, since 1974, have been restoring and revitalising the village as a living and working community. Today, New Lanark is recognised as one of Scotland’s six UNESCO World Heritage Sites of ‘outstanding universal value’ and welcomes over 300,000 visitors annually to the site.
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