Pillar thumbnail 1
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Pillar

Furnishing Fabric
1937 (made)
Artist/Maker
Edinburgh Weavers (manufacturer)
Barbara Hepworth (designer)
Place of origin
Carlisle (made)

Furnishing fabric of Jacquard-woven cotton and rayon. With a geometrical design of wide vertical bands of pale green, grey and cream enlivened with well spaced rectangles in cream, burgundy and scarlet stripes.

Object details

Categories
Textiles
Interiors
Scotland
Object type
Furnishing fabric
TitlePillar (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Jacquard-woven cotton and rayon
Cotton
Rayon
Weaving
Brief description
Furnishing fabric 'Pillar' of Jacquard-woven cotton and rayon, designed by Barbara Hepworth, made by Edinburgh Weavers, Carlisle, 1937.
Physical description
Furnishing fabric of Jacquard-woven cotton and rayon. With a geometrical design of wide vertical bands of pale green, grey and cream enlivened with well spaced rectangles in cream, burgundy and scarlet stripes.
Dimensions
  • Length: 263cm
  • Width: 117.5cm (max width)
  • Width: 115.5cm (width of attached velcro)
Gallery label
(2021)
Contemporary art for the home

The textile company Edinburgh Weavers was founded in 1928 to bring modern textile design into the home. They produced this fabric based on a design commissioned from the British artist Barbara Hepworth. Her geometric design with blocks of contrasting colours drew on Constructivism, a Russian art movement which advocated for art to reflect the modern industrial world.

Geometric furnishing fabric
‘Pillar’ from the Constructivist Textiles range, 1937
Designed by Barbara Hepworth
Manufactured by Edinburgh Weavers, UK
Jacquard-woven cotton and rayon
Museum no. CIRC.170-1938

The object sits in the 'Housing and Leaving' section of the Design 1900-Now gallery opened in June 2021.
Credit line
Purchased from Edinburgh Weavers
Object history
Historical significance: This and CIRC.470-1939, CIRC.471-1939, CIRC.523-1954 and CIRC.172-1938 are from the range of 'Constructivist Textiles' designed by Hepworth and Ben Nicholson for Edinburgh Weavers in Autumn 1937.
Bibliographic reference
Hollis, Marianne and Opie, Jennifer. Thirties: British Art and Design before the war. London : Arts Council, 1979. Catalogue 10.5.
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
CIRC.170-1938

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Record createdOctober 18, 2002
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O68565/pillar-furnishing-fabric-barbara-hepworth/
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