During the War, Zika Ascher often toured the National Gallery looking for inspiration. The National Gallery was showcasing contemporary artists work, as the main collection was shipped out of London for fear of bombing. There, he saw works by War Artists such as Moore and Topolski and sought them out in the hope that they would design for his new company.
1947
90cm x 90cm
Silk Twill
Limited edition of 375
This work features a bird motif that is atypical for Moore. This design, along with several other designs for textiles, appears to have been inspired by an interest in Native American and African Art.
1946
90cm x 90cm
Silk Twill
This nine-color design is closest in style to Moore's drawings and sculptures, among the designs he did for Ascher Squares. Where it differentiates from his more typical work is in the use of bright and striking colors.
1946
90cm x 90cm
Silk Twill
While Figures on a Ladder Background is representative of Moore’s typical focus on the human form, it also displays his willingness to understand the medium for which he was designing. The figures are in a repeat, and the grid, or ladder, gives the square a symmetry that shows he was conscious of the utility of a silk square.
1947
183cm x 264cm
Linen
Limited edition of 30
Of all the designs for textiles that Moore produced for Ascher, this design for a nearly three-meter wall panel is most evocative of the monumental sculptures for which he is best known. The reclining figure on a ground of green gouache stripes seems at home in much the way that his monumental brass sculptures sit perfectly among the fields and sheep at his home Perry Green.
1989
182cm x 127 cm
Cotton
Limited edition of 65
Head of Man was originally proofed in 1947. It shows some of the African influences that are also present in Moore’s other textile designs. Head of Man was finally put into production in 1989 to complete the series of six Ascher Panels designed by Moore and Matisse. It represents the last work of Zika Ascher’s life.
1947
264cm x 183cm
Linen
Limited edition of 30
Two Standing Figures is a powerful example of Moore’s fascination with the human form. It is one of four designs conceived by Moore as large-scale textile wall panels. The Ascher Panels were intended as a large-scale way of reproducing artist works so that a larger audience could enjoy them.
1989
160cm x 120 cm
Cotton
Limited edition of 65
Three Seated Figures was originally proofed in 1947, but not put into production until 1989. Stylistically it is a blend between Moore’s typical studies of the human form and the bright and somewhat more whimsical textile designs.