Gerald Wilde
1942

screen printed silk twill crepe for Ascher textiles, printed by John Heathcoat & Co. with an abstract design in jewel colours of magenta, mauve, cerise, tangerine, orange, yellow, lemon, aquamarine, mid blue, all outlined in black, 32 in; 80 cm sq.

Comments

Wilde (1905-1986) Born in London studied at Chelsea School of Art for seven years where he studied under Graham Sutherland and met Henry Moore , both became life long friends and advocates. He was a member of the hard drinking post-war Soho coterie. During the WW2 he served with the Pioneer Corps. In 1941 he participated in the Manchester based Cotton Board's Designs for Textiles by Twelve Fine Artists which was organised as part of the wartime export drive, the first of many influential Cotton Board exhibitions. Other artists who took part were Duncan Grant, Paul Nash, Hans Tisdall, Graham Sutherland and John Piper. Wilde produced this abstract expressionist design in 1947. One of his designs printed on silk was worn by the Queen when she was Princess Elizabeth on the Royal Tour in 1947. Zika and Lida Ascher were Czech refugees who arrived in London in 1933 and started to screen print fabrics which had been bought in. In 1942 they set up Ascher(London) Ltd, commissioned leading artists of the day to produce screen-print designs which they produced as limited edition artists' textiles, bringing art and fashion closer together. Matisse, Graham Sutherland, John Piper, Wilde and other well known artists produced printed fashion fabrics and scarves. Their markets were the more cultured home market and the export market. John Heathcoat & Co prided themselves on being manufacturers of modern textiles in silk and rayon. 33 Margaret Street, London W1. This scarf was used for their advertisement in The Ambassador no 1, 1947 p 64. This magazine was started by Hans and Elsbeth Juda. See: Rennie, Paul London Squares Bard GC NYC British Propaganda Textiles of WW2, 2004 Jackson, Lesley <20th Cenutry Pattern Design p 97 See Artists' Textiles in Britain 1945-70 p 22,38 (refer to my Bibliography)

Condition

Excellent

Price: on request