Lot 190
KATHLEEN WHYTE (1909–1996) §
'CROCUS PANEL' EMBROIDERED PANEL, CIRCA 1960
Auction: 23 February 2017 at 10:00 GMT
Description
depicting various budding plant forms, on a red linen ground, bears artist's inscription verso, original frame
Dimensions
33 x 32cm
Footnote
Literature: Aberdeen City Council, "Contemporary textiles on show to mark centenary of Embroiderers' Guild".
Whyte, Kathleen, 'Design in Embroidery', B. T. Batsford Ltd. London, 1982.
Arthur, Liz, 'Kathleen Whyte Embroiderer', B. T. Batsford Ltd. London, 1989.
Note: Honoured with an MBE for service to Scottish Art Education in 1969, Kathleen Whyte is known for her contributions to the revival of embroidery throughout Scotland. Notable commissions include several ecclesiastical works undertaken for the Church of Scotland. She also produced other secular work. One of the most distinct, a commission by the Tay Road Bridge Joint Board in 1966, was an embroidered stole, incorporating pearls from the river, and which was worn by the Queen Mother and featured in various exhibitions.
Originally from Arbroath, Whyte and her family joined her father in Jamshedpur, India for short spells throughout her childhood. Introduced to embroidery at a young age, Whyte was taught the curriculum derived from Anne Macbeth and Margaret Swanson's book 'Educational Needlecraft' (1911). Later she went on to study craft and design at Gray's School of Art, Aberdeen then taught art at local schools for several years.
At a time when embroidery was being revived in Glasgow, Whyte became embroidery and weaving lecturer at Glasgow School of Art, in 1948, embracing the fashionable influence of contemporary Scandinavian embroidery and weaving. Whyte went on to become responsible for updating and improving the design course at the School of Art and visited other art schools throughout UK to assess and evaluate the new Diploma in Art and Design courses. Later, she developed higher education courses as an Art Adviser to the Scottish Education Department.
Her work was featured in "A Scottish Celebration", a touring exhibition of contemporary textiles to mark the centenary of the foundation of the Embroiderers' Guild, which opened at Aberdeen Art Gallery in October 2006. Examples of her work can be found in the Royal Scottish Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, many churches, and in other public and private collections.