William De Morgan (1839 - 1917) was one of the most important artists of the Arts and Crafts movement in the second half of the 19th century. After studying at the Royal Academy Schools, De Morgan became associated with William Morris, a leading figure in decorative arts at the time, which eventually led to De Morgan’s talent flourishing, especially in pottery decoration, giving birth to some of the most memorable masterpieces in the history of tiles.

Victorian Britain had become the world’s largest industrial producer, and was at the peak of its economic prosperity. The concomitant rise of the middle classes led an unprecedented house-building boom, which in turn gave birth to the Victorian tile. The emerging middle classes demanded a style of home decoration that reflected individual tastes, rather than pastiches of the decorative styles of the upper-classes. This also applied to the design of tiles, which increasingly became embodiments of free individual expressions of images and ideals pertaining to one’s home.

This exhibition was composed of nearly 150 representative examples of ceramics by William De Morgan from the De Morgan Foundation, a major owner of William De Morgan works. The exhibits included tiles informed by De Morgan’s encounter with Morris, works demonstrating De Morgan’s favorite techniques, materials and designs, and tiles used in interior decoration. The exhibition offered a rare, precious opportunity to see a large body of major tiles and other ceramic works by William De Morgan, who pursued beauty and ideal in the humble canvas that is the tile.

Exhibits :

• 148 works (tile, tile panel, plate, vase)

Catalogue texts :

• Kate Catleugh
• Helen Dunstan Smith
• Noriko Yoshimura

Lender :

• De Morgan Foundation
• Southwark Art Collection