Anarchy & Beauty: William Morris and his Legacy, 1860-1960

Wonderful exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery looking at the life and work of William Morris as well as taking a look at how he has influences cultural and political life since.

This was a brilliantly curated show which touched on all aspects of Morris’ life as a designer, poet, social reformer, environmentalist and political theorist. It included moving personal objects such as one of his satchels and items from the Red House and other homes. It would have been easy to just do a show on his design work but this was dealt with cleverly with the array of wallpapers being show in small panels between the different sections of the exhibition. I loved one quote from the commentary which said that “Wallpaper by the yard was Morris’s most truly democratic art”.

The political and social reforming side of his life was shown in an understandable manner and of course I loved the section on his friendships. Did you know Emmeline Pankhurst has run a show selling Morris fabrics?! A lovely section on the craftsmen he worked with included a wonderful portrait of William de Morgan by his wife Evelyn of him holding a vase. The show had the exact vase next t the picture.

The legacy section was fascinating as there were aspects of English life he had influenced which I had not realised for example his writing and ideas fed into the garden cities movement. I liked the section on artistic communities such as those at Ditchiling and St Ives which grew up from his ideas of craftsmen working together.

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