Not currently on display at the V&A

Barbed Wire

Furnishing Fabric
1947 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The use of a barbed wire motif on a dress may seem unusual, though for Moore it was a symbol of life's ability to endure after mass industrialised slaughter. Much of Moore's output focuses on notions of continuity and endurance, which are represented here by the wildflowers behind the metal wire. It was a particularly potent image in the immediate aftermath of the senseless killing of the Second World War.

A similar pattern appears on a dressing gown worn by Sally Gray in the 1947 British film noir They Made Me a Fugitive


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleBarbed Wire (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Screen-printed rayon
Brief description
Furnishing fabric 'Barbed Wire' of screen-printed rayon, designed by Henry Spencer Moore for Ascher Ltd., London, 1947
Physical description
Furnishing fabric of screen-printed rayon. With an abstract design of barbed wire and parachutes.
Dimensions
  • Length: 63.5cm
  • Width: 46cm
  • Length: 24in
  • Width: 18in
Credit line
Given by the manufacturer
Summary
The use of a barbed wire motif on a dress may seem unusual, though for Moore it was a symbol of life's ability to endure after mass industrialised slaughter. Much of Moore's output focuses on notions of continuity and endurance, which are represented here by the wildflowers behind the metal wire. It was a particularly potent image in the immediate aftermath of the senseless killing of the Second World War.

A similar pattern appears on a dressing gown worn by Sally Gray in the 1947 British film noir They Made Me a Fugitive
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.96-1947

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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