Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, room 514a , Case SHELF, Shelf 44

Trees

Wallpaper
late 20th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Michael Szell (1930-2003) was a Hungarian-born designer of textiles and wallpapers, who came to the UK in the 1940s and lived and worked here for the rest of his life. He studied design at Aberystwyth College and the Royal College of Art. His style is best described as opulent and flamboyant; his designs were much influenced by his travels in India, Iran and Turkey. He rose to prominence in the 1960s with lush elaborate and often over-sized patterns printed in vivid colours characteristic of the period. In 1969 he opened a shop on Sloane Avenue, London. His career included a period as chief stylist for Harrods (where he was encouraged to indulge his baroque aesthetic) and commissions from the Royal Family – he decorated the Throne Room at Windsor Castle and the interior of the Royal train for the 1977 Silver Jubilee tour. He also designed for film sets. In the 1990s the Ferragamo (the Italian fashion house) bought his archive of designs. This is one of 3 rolls of wallpaper – Malachite, Trees, and Bokhara - in the V&A collection which represent his luxe eclectic style.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleTrees (assigned by artist)
Brief description
Roll of wallpaper, 'Trees', designed by Michael Szell
Dimensions
  • Width: 76.2cm (Note: Length not measured)
Credit line
Given by Michael Claydon
Summary
Michael Szell (1930-2003) was a Hungarian-born designer of textiles and wallpapers, who came to the UK in the 1940s and lived and worked here for the rest of his life. He studied design at Aberystwyth College and the Royal College of Art. His style is best described as opulent and flamboyant; his designs were much influenced by his travels in India, Iran and Turkey. He rose to prominence in the 1960s with lush elaborate and often over-sized patterns printed in vivid colours characteristic of the period. In 1969 he opened a shop on Sloane Avenue, London. His career included a period as chief stylist for Harrods (where he was encouraged to indulge his baroque aesthetic) and commissions from the Royal Family – he decorated the Throne Room at Windsor Castle and the interior of the Royal train for the 1977 Silver Jubilee tour. He also designed for film sets. In the 1990s the Ferragamo (the Italian fashion house) bought his archive of designs. This is one of 3 rolls of wallpaper – Malachite, Trees, and Bokhara - in the V&A collection which represent his luxe eclectic style.
Collection
Accession number
E.603-2014

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Record createdJune 26, 2014
Record URL
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