Lot 304
WENDY RAMSHAW C.B.E., R.D.I. (BRITISH 1939-2018) §
JUMPER, 1980s
Auction: MODERN MADE | Lots 1 - 422 | Fri 01 May at 10am
Description
wool
Dimensions
47cm high, 129cm wide with arms extended (18 ½in high, 50 ¾in wide)
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist by the mother of the present owner;
Private Collection, London.
Footnote
Between 1986 and 1988 Wendy Ramshaw undertook a short but ambitious exploration into the design of knitted garments, extending her sculptural thinking into the realm of clothing. The full body of work was presented in 1988 at the Museum het Princessehof, Leeuwarden, where it was accompanied by a published catalogue documenting the project.
Ramshaw devised the designs using gridded drawings that functioned as precise pattern guides, and worked in collaboration with highly skilled knitters, specifying Rowan yarns for their quality and consistency. Domestic knitting machines are understood to have played a role in the making process. The project is discussed and illustrated in Graham Hughes’ David Watkins and Wendy Ramshaw: A Life’s Partnership (2008).
Works from this period are represented in public collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Reading Museum and Abbot Hall Art Gallery. Although the knitted clothing series was brought to a close in 1988, it forms a significant chapter within her wider practice, reflecting a lifelong engagement with textiles that can be traced back to her studies in Newcastle.
