I gasped when I received this handsome book, though book isn’t quite the right accolade – so what is? A commemorative study of the great man, might be better. Marking the 125th anniversary of William Morris’s death, this is the most wide-ranging, comprehensive – and beautifully– illustrated study of William Morris ever published and I say that from the bottom of my heart. Frost Magazine readers, I salivated.
William Morris was something of a Renaissance man, with wide-ranging interests: he was a poet, writer, political and social activist, conservationist and businessman, as well as a brilliant and original designer and manufacturer, with his designs still being used as wallpaper. I know, because a friend with taste has Morris’ meticulous presence in every room. This book explores the balance between Morris’s various spheres of activity and influence, places his art in the context of its time and explores his ongoing and far-reaching legacy.
A pioneer of the Arts & Crafts Movement, William Morris (1834–1896) is one of the most influential designers of all time. Morris turned the tide of Victorian England against an increasingly industrialized manufacturing process towards a rediscovered respect for the skill of the maker. Morris’s whole approach still resonates today.
Published to mark the 125th anniversary of Morris’s death, this book includes contributions from a wide range of Morris experts, with chapters on painting, church decoration and stained glass, interior decoration, furniture, tiles and tableware, wallpaper, textiles, calligraphy and publishing. Additional materials include a contextualized chronology of Morris’s life and a list of public collections around the world where examples of Morris’s work may be seen today. This study is a comprehensive, fully illustrated exploration of a great thinker and artist, and essential reading for anyone interested in the history of design.
Anna Mason is a leading authority on the Arts & Crafts Movement. From 2009 to 2016 she was curator at the William Morris Gallery, London, and from 2019 to 2020 was curator of the Morris-designed Red House (National Trust). She was lead curator of the exhibition ‘May Morris: Art and Life’ held at the gallery in 2017, and co-author of the accompanying book May Morris: Arts & Crafts Designer (published by Thames & Hudson with the William Morris Gallery and the V&A).
Frost Magazine cannot recommend this extraordinarily special appreciation of William Morris too highly. Is it too much to say it is a work of art in itself? I think not.
Thames & Hudson / V&A £50 hardback available from the V&A shop, of course. www.vam.ac.uk
Thames and Hudson is one of the largest independent #English-language publishers of titles in the areas of art, design, architecture, fashion and photography. Still family owned the group employs 130 staff in London, and a further 65 around the world. www.thamesandhudson.com
The V&A is the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance with collections unrivalled in their csope and diversity. It was established to make works of art available to all and to inspire British designers and manufacturers. Today, the V&A’s collections, which span more than 5000 years, (yes, really) of human creativity in virtually every medium and from many parts of the world continue to intrigue, inspire and inform.