December 11, 1996 -
February 15, 1997
William Morris:
The Collector as Creator.
CURATED BY Mark Samuels Lasner.
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December 11, 1996 - William Morris:
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Timed to mark the centenary of Morris's death, the
exhibition focused on the importance of books in Morris's
multifaceted life as poet, translator, designer,
calligrapher, traveler, political reformer and, ultimately,
printer and typographer. A collector in the usual sense of
the word, acquiring and treasuring rare editions, Morris was
additionally a collector in a broader sense, accumulating
and then transforming ideas and influences that came to him
via the printed word and image. This exhibition presented a
selection of the books owned by Morris that served as
creative sparks for his work: medieval manuscripts;
incunabula; guides to the decorative arts; "books about
books"; English literature; and Scandinavian sagas. Examples
of Morris's own publications and achievements in the book
arts were also included, along with letters, manuscripts,
photographs, drawings, and portraits. Most of the
items--drawn from private and public collections in England
and the United States, as well as from the Club's own
holdings--had never before been exhibited. Among the
highlights were Morris's copies of such books significant to
his development as the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili
(1499), Gerard's Herball (1636), and Malory's La
Mort D'Arthure (1858). Morris's annotated copy of
Chaucer's Works was displayed alongside his last
great achievement, the Kelmscott Chaucer, for which
it served as copy-text. A
checklist
of the exhibition was published, also a new, augmented
edition of Morris's A
Note on his Aims in Founding the Kelmscott
Press. |