Hot off the press

New wallpapers designed by artists demonstrate the possibilities of collaboration

ALTHOUGH artists from Picasso to Warhol explored the possibilities of designing textiles and wallpapers, the former declared that his designs should never be used for upholstery: ‘Picassos may be leaned against, not sat on.’ Others have been less precious; Zoffany, Lewis & Wood and Lee Jofa are among the companies that have launched collections dreamt up by those from other creative disciplines, including painters, illustrators and decorative artists.

Extraordinary things can happen, not least in the hands of Charlotte Cory, a London-based writer and artist, best known for what she describes as ‘a post-darwinian universe’ of reworked Victorian portraits combined with pictures of taxidermy.

This collaborative approach has been spearheaded by Sharon Forsyth, whose previous business involved helping musicians to produce work under their own labels. When she sold it, she set up Graduate Collection to apply the