Althea McNish: Colour is Mine

After moving to the UK from Trinidad in 1950, McNish achieved international recognition for her innovative and brilliantly colourful textiles. Her first museum survey, at the William Morris Gallery in London (2 April–26 June), considers the artist’s legacy both as a commercial designer and as a key player in the Caribbean Arts Movement of the 1960s and 70s, and makes plain that in every facet of her work McNish was a committed experimentalist. At the heart of the exhibition is her verdant Golden Harvest (1957); perhaps the artist’s most recognisable print, this was her first commercial design for Hull Traders and takes its inspiration from McNish’s first encounter with an English wheatfield, which for her evoked childhood memories of sugar cane plantations in Trinidad. McNish would go on to create many familiar collections of fabrics and wallpapers for the leading firms of the day, and to frequent collaborations with artists, including Henry Moore. Also on display are items from the artist’s personal archive, including excerpts from her university dissertation and photographs from her years as a student at London School of Printing and Graphic Design. Find out more on the William Morris Gallery website. 

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Althea McNish photographed in her studio (c. 1970s), Courtesy of the N15 Archive. Photo: Bill Patterson

Golden Harvest (c. 1960s). Photo: Private Collection

Textile design Textile design (c.1950s – 60s). Courtesy of N15 Archive: The Althea McNish Collection

Unidentified Design Courtesy of the N15 Archive: The Althea McNish Collection