Pallant House Gallery exhibits Enid Marx: The Eve-Breuning Gift

Enid Marx, Noah’s Ark, Linocut © Estate of Enid Marx

Pallant House Gallery  presents a new exhibition of the designer, illustrator and printmaker Enid Marx (1902-1998), in the De’Longhi Print Room. A contemporary of Eric Ravilious, Edward Bawden and Peggy Angus, Marx’s prolific artistic output included textiles, postage stamps, London Transport posters and book jackets. This exhibition showcases the collection of her prints presented to the Gallery in 2006, shown together for the first time.

During Marx’s long career – spanning over 70 years -she produced an impressive array of designs including stamps, seating fabric and posters for London Transport, books and book-jackets, wrapping paper, logos, rugs and menu cards. She also wrote and illustrated twelve children’s books and co-authored – with her lifelong companion the eminent historian Margaret Lambert – two books about folk art, including the important ‘English Popular Art’.

Enid Marx, Wally Dogs, Linocut. © Esate of Enid Marx

Her designs, usually abstract and geometric, were not only extremely fashionable, but also very practical. Towards the end of WWII she was invited to be a member of the Board of Trade Utility Furniture team, which designed large quantities of cheap furniture for people who had suffered bomb damage. Marx was responsible for creating textiles in as great a variety as possible from a very limited supply of yarns and range of colours, and in 1944 she was awarded the coveted title Royal Designer for Industry.

In 2006 the Gallery was presented with a complete set of Marx’s prints from Matthew Eve and Eleanor Breuning. It is being shown together for the first time in a new exhibition in the De’Longhi Print Room.

Exhibition dates: 10 January – 26 February 2012

Pallant House Gallery

9 North Pallant

Chichester

West Sussex

PO19 1TJ

Tel:01243 774557

Opening Hours

Tuesday to Saturday: 10am – 5pm

Thursday: 10am – 8pm

Sunday/Bank Holidays: 11am – 5pm

Mondays: Closed