Unveiling the Art of Wallpaper: Morris & Co. exhibition

York Art Gallery showcases the archive of Morris & Co., the original home of the Arts & Crafts textile designer, William Morris, to celebrate the designer, his work, influence and legacy in UK wallpaper innovation. York is the first location to host this touring exhibition, presented by Dovecot Studios, the world-renowned tapestry studio in Edinburgh, in partnership with Morris & Co.

Opening on Friday, 27 September 2024 at York Art Gallery, this major exhibition includes a new interpretation of William Morris’s wallpaper designs and highlights why Morris is regarded as one of the most successful pattern designers of all time and why his designs continue to play a part in our homes to this day.

York Art Gallery is proud to present the archive of Morris & Co., celebrating the work, influence, and legacy of renowned Arts & Crafts textile designer William Morris. This touring exhibition, making its debut in York, is organised by the world-famous Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh in collaboration with Morris & Co. The exhibition offers a fresh perspective on Morris's iconic wallpaper designs, showcasing why he is hailed as one of the most influential pattern designers in history and how his work continues to inspire home interiors today.

A British craftsman and pioneer of modern design, William Morris (1834-1896) started designing wallpapers in the 1860s. Within a decade, he was creating some of his most enduring designs, including 'Larkspur', 'Jasmine' (both 1872), and 'Willow' (1874).

This exhibition features over 130 works from the Sanderson and Morris & Co. archives from the 1830s to the 1920s. It traces the history of Morris & Co. from its founding, and key works featured include rare formal Victorian designs that predate Morris, Victorian woodblocks, and ‘kinkarakawakami’, Japanese wallpaper produced for export, which influenced the designer.
The largest section of the exhibition will focus on William Morris and his legacy as a designer, writer, poet, translator, publisher, fervent socialist, environmentalist and protector of ancient buildings.

Including framed original samples, the exhibition will transport visitors into the 19th- and 20th-century interiors for which these wallpapers were produced with carefully chosen pieces of upholstered furniture in Morris & Co. fabrics to bring the story alive. The show charts wallpapers by acclaimed 19th- and 20th-century designers, including Morris, Owen Jones, Dresser, Pugin, and C.F.A. Voysey. The wallpapers convey the charms of Morris’s designs, who advocated for ‘a beautiful life’.

York Art Gallery’s Curator of Ceramics, Dr Helen Walsh says: “We are excited to have the opportunity to bring this exhibition to York Art Gallery and to showcase over a hundred of the most famous original wallpaper designs created by William Morris and his contemporaries. Morris was the iconic figurehead of the Arts & Crafts movement during the 19th century, whose designs were inspired by nature. He was a radical Socialist activist, campaigner and poet, who championed the importance of craft skills and workers’ rights in the face of mass industrialisation, aiming to democratise good design and make it accessible to the masses so that everyone could ‘have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’.”

Caitlin Stracey, archive and design manager, Sanderson Design Group, says: “We are absolutely thrilled to continue the tour of The Art of Wallpaper exhibition, originally curated by Mary Schoeser, which delves into our rich Sanderson Design Group Archive. The exhibition explores changing taste and style from the mid 19th to early 20th century, offering a unique cross-section of design and manufacturing from the period. Highlights include works by William Morris, founder of Morris & Co. and the pioneering figure of the Arts & Crafts Movement, and designs by his successor, John Henry Dearle. With over 100 original wallpapers on display, accompanied by examples of pages from manufacturing logbooks and authentic woodblocks, this exhibition offers a rare glimpse into the treasure trove of our archive and the iconic pieces that continue to inspire our brands, including Morris & Co., today.”

‘The Art of Wallpaper: Morris & Co.’ (27 September 2024 – 23 February 2025) celebrates the artist, his work and that of his contemporaries, with colour, form and inspiration, with a programme of accompanying talks and demonstrations.