Category: designer desire

Designer Desire: George Mayer-Marton

Montage of George Mayer-Marton church mosaic works

 I was saddened to read about yet another priceless piece of art potentially soon to be destroyed. It’s a work by George Mayer-Marton (1897–1960) – his fresco and mosaic of the crucifixion which can be found behind the alter of the Holy Rosary Church in Fitton Hill, Oldham.

The church has been closed since 2017 and is set to be demolished… along with the mosaic inside. As you can see from our montage of before & after images above, the artwork has already been *probably* irreparably damaged; the two ends having been painted over in the 1980s, only the central figure of Christ remains.

Mayer-Marton’s mural in St Clare’s RC Church in Blackley, Manchester is the only other of his pieces which survives in situ in its original site. Another of his mosaics, Pentecost, was removed from a now demolished church in Netherton, Merseyside was luckily rescued and currently resides in Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.

A number of representatives from arts, architecture and heritage organisations have taken campaigning action – appealing to Historic England for its rescue; they include The Victoria and Albert Museum, Save Britain’s Heritage, The Imperial War Museum, The Victoria Gallery in Liverpool and The Vivian Gallery in Swansea.

A book to help fund the campaign has been published by Baquis Press. You can find copies here.

A mere 3 days ago, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) on Historic England’s recommendation gave the building – and Mayer-Marton’s mural – Grade II listed status.

Portrait of George Mayer-Marton

Additional image credits:
Craace | Manchester Evening News

Designer Desire: Dorrie Nossiter

Montage of Dorrie Nossiter Jewellery designs

Born in Aston, Birmingham, jewellery designer Dorrie Nossiter (1893-1977) worked in the Arts & Crafts and latterly Art Deco styles.

Nossiter is another designer I discovered from a recent auction catalogue; it included the rock crystal necklace at the top of our montage above – simple elegance!

She studied at the city’s Municipal School of Art from 1910 to 1914. During the 1930s, she exhibited her work a number of times at Walker’s Gallery in London.

She created rings, earrings, brooches and necklaces in gold and silver using gemstones such as amethyst, aquamarine, citrine, garnet, peridot and tourmaline.

As well as at auction, you’ll find a handful of examples of her work for sale at any given time on eBay and Etsy.

As Dorrie Nossiter never signed her work, it has often been mistaken for her friend and contemporary, Sibyl Dunlop – perhaps we’ll feature her in next week’s Designer Desire slot.

Portrait of Dorrie Nossitercredit

Additional image credits:
The Peartree Collection | Sotherbys | Sworders

Designer Desire: Alfred Daniels

Montage of Alfred Daniels artworks

Viewing sale lots for our Auction Alert series, I always happen across artists & designers that I’ve never come across previously.

Born in Trellis Street in Bow, and affectionately referred to as Danny, Alfred Daniels (1924-2015) is sometimes referred to as the Lowry of the East End – although he once quipped, “I’m not really an East Ender, I’m more of a Bow boy”.

With help from his uncle Charlie, he left school early and enrolled in Woolwich Polytechnic to learn sign-writing. He never completed his course, instead – again, thanks to his uncle – got a job as a lettering artist at the Lawrence Danes Studio in Chancery Lane.

When his uncle started up his own studio in Fetter Lane above the Vogue Magazine photo studio, he went to work for him, earning £1 a week. In 1947, Danny was accepted to attend the Royal College of Art. After gaining his 1st class degree there, he stayed on for a further year to study mural design.

In 1954, he completed his five impressive, award-winning murals inside Hammersmith Town Hall and also participated in their conservation in 1983.

I never wanted to be a painter, I wanted to be an illustrator of life… It isn’t enough to make a picture of something – You have to be there, you have to touch it, you have to experience it.

In 1973, he joined the Royal Watercolour Society, followed by the Royal Society of British Artists a decade later. He was also elected keeper of The Royal Society in 1991.

In addition to his many paintings, he illustrated calendars for Oxford University Press and posters for the General Post Office. He often exhibited at the Russell Gallery in Putney. His work is in the permanent collections of The Science Museum, Manchester Art Gallery, Bradford Museums and Galleries and Nottingham City Museums & Galleries.

For a number of years, he taught at Sir John Cass School of Art – nicknamed the ‘Aldgate Bauhaus’ and now the School of Art, Architecture and Design at London Metropolitan University. As well as teaching, he was the author of a number of books about drawing and painting.

The Gentle Author of Spitalfields Life interviewed and wrote about Alfred Daniels on many occasions. Included in the posts are lots of photos of his sketchbooks and studio in his family home in Bedford Park, Chiswick. You can find out more here.

Making a painting is like baking a cake, one slice is for you but the rest is for everyone else.

Portrait of Alfred Danielscredit

Additional image credits:
Mutual Art

Designer Desire: Kurt Østervig

Montage of Kurt Østervig furniture designs

Furniture designer, Kurt Østervig (1912-1986) trained as a shipbuilder and naval architect in Odense, Denmark’s third largest city. He soon switched to furniture design, working in the studio of manufacturer E. Knudsen prior to founding his own studio in 1947.

Kurt Østervig worked as a freelance designer for the remainder of his long career, collaborating with a range of Scandinavian furniture companies during the mid 20th century; these included Bernh, Bramin, Brande Møbelindustri, Jason, Pedersen & Son, Rolschau, Schillers Polstermøbelfabrik, Sibast and Vamo.

Østervig’s designs were primarily manufactured using oak – sometimes with the addition of leather; however, some pieces were produced in rosewood and teak. Among Østervig’s most important and popular designs are the Model 12 Easy Chair & footstool for Schillers (1961; re-launched in 2014) and the Butterfly Dining Chair (1950s) for Brande (a set of six with turquoise upholstered seats are shown in the montage above).

Some of Østervig’s furniture designs continue to be manufactured to this day; visit the Finnish Design Shop.If you prefer vintage examples, try 1stDibs, eBay and Etsy.

Portrait of Kurt Østervig, furniture designercredit

Additional image credits:
Artnet