Discover the distinctive work of Tadek Beutlich MBE (1922 – 2011), a visionary textile artist, printmaker and teacher.
From monumental tapestries to intricate textile constructions and vivid relief prints, On and Off the Loom offers an in-depth look at Beutlich’s remarkable career, affirming his reputation as one of the world’s leading textile artists.
Polish-born Beutlich, who made Ditchling his home in the late 1960s and early 1970s, developed a style that blurred the lines between fine art and craft. His bold, innovative approach to materials, combined with fearless experimentation, allowed him to continually reinvent his artistic practice.
After the Second World War he enrolled as a student of painting and drawing at the Sir John Cass Institute in London, transferring to Camberwell School of Art and Crafts and graduating with a degree in Textiles in 1950.
While still a student, he accompanied his teacher, weaver Barbara Sawyer (1919–1982), on a visit to Gospels, the home and workshop of Ethel Mairet (1872–1952) in Ditchling. Mairet’s imaginative use of yarns had a profound influence on Beutlich’s work, and in 1967, following Mairet’s death, he moved into Gospels.
Several striking works created at Gospels in the late 1960s will take centre stage in this retrospective, including Dream Revealed (1968), an eight-foot-tall weaving made from unspun jute, mohair, and horsehair, which hasn’t been exhibited since the 1969 Lausanne Textile Biennale.
Also on display are examples of Beutlich’s avant-garde open-weave hangings, incorporating materials such as charred wood, horsehair, and x-ray film.
Beutlich approached printmaking with the same innovation and freedom as he did textiles, printing without a press, but instead by walking on his works to make impressions. Vibrant relief prints such as Pollination I (c1973) made using Lycra, show his innovative style.
Contemporary Commissions
In Las Golondrinas, Tim Johnson parallels Beutlich’s inspirations from the Catalonian landscape, creating flexible compositions influenced by Beutlich’s techniques of creative improvisation and his unpublished manuscript, The Techniques of Free Warp Tapestry.
Julie Rignell’s Regenerate draws on Beutlich’s textile innovations and natural plant forms, inviting visitors to wrap seed heads harvested from Ditchling’s hedgerows. As the spiral structure grows outward, vibrant yarn will reflect the changing seasons, celebrating creativity, place, and growth.
Tadek Beutlich: On and Off the Loom offers a rare opportunity to explore the ground-breaking work of a master of textiles and printmaking, while celebrating his lasting influence on the world of craft.
