Jardin de Suzanne by Clare Curtis

V&A Select is a new collection of artist prints commissioned by the V&A. Each print is available in an edition of just 75. The artists were chosen for the way their work connects with the V&A and creates the opportunity for a new dialogue with the collection.

Commissioned by the V&A, Jardin de Suzanne depicts a fantasy Art Deco garden. The stylised plant forms are based on the wonderful design of a carpet in the V&A collection by designer Suzanne Guiguichon, made in Paris in about 1925. Artist Clare Curtis was drawn to the mix of optimism and exuberance found in Guiguichon’s design, typical of the progressive, modern spirit of the Art Deco period. To create the screen-print Clare made layers of transparent film and used a mixture of applied paper collage and drawn wax crayon which she then scratched to develop the beautiful shapes and textures. Each colour is printed separately, one on top of the other, the final print emerging from the layering of colouring and detail. 

Printmaker Clare Curtis’ love of plants and gardens is evident in much of her work. She studied Illustration and Printmaking at Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee, and spent time in London developing a career in illustration before returning to her hometown of Felixstowe in Suffolk to pursue her love of printmaking. Chiefly a lino-cutter but also producing screen-prints and lithographs, Clare’s work reflects a love of British 20th-century art and design alongside a fondness for all things botanical. 

Created exclusively for the V&A.

Details

• Limited edition of 75, embossed with a V&A stamp, hand-numbered and signed by the artist

• 5 colour screen-print on 300gsm Somerset Satin

• Dimensions: 67cm x 47cm