Henry Moore

Henry Moore, the British artist most well-known for his semi-representational sculptures, also created textile designs.

The artist created numerous designs for textiles, but few of them were put into production. Designed for scarves, dresses, upholstery, Moore also made large-scale wall panels for the architecture of the day, and worked with companies like Ascher and David Whitehead. 

Moore's familiar sculptures, rounded or elongated, pointed or curved, are echoed in the fabric designs, but there is so much more than simply printing those forms onto textiles.He saw colour as a 'bit of a holiday' and his obvious enjoyment of colour comes through in these designs, some of which were found as recently as 2006! Animals, paperclips, people, caterpillars, insect wings and pianos; all have been grist to the designer's mill. 

We have added a new book to the library - Henry Moore Textiles.  Published in 2008 by the Henry Moore Foundation, this publication provides information and many photographs of models wearing dresses of Moore designs, the designs themselves, advertising posters and the fabrics. What an innovative, interesting and exciting book for anyone keen on Mid-Century textile design!