Wallpaper History Society 'Art and Wallpaper' Online Symposium

Wallpaper has often appeared in the background of portraits and paintings of domestic scenes, particularly after the 1850s when mechanisation meant that wallpaper became a staple feature within the majority of middle-class homes.  Sometimes, the artist simply wanted to paint a realistic background, on other occasions patterns were used to convey social and moral meanings.  Artists have also become increasingly involved in the design of wallpapers themselves, beginning with work by painters such as Maurice Denis in the early 20thcentury and continuing with examples such as Andy Warhol’s Cow wallpaper of 1966.  More recently, contemporary artists like Jenny Holzer, Sarah Lucas and John Baldessari have also made statement wallpapers, while others, like Deborah Bowness have created designs that are hung like installations or works of art.

Itinerary

9.30                     SYMPOSIUM BEGINS: welcome and housekeeping

Session 1

9.40                        Introduction to Session 1: Contemporary Artists’ representation of Wallpaper in Art