Emerging from the middle generation of St Ives painters—including William Scott, Peter Lanyon and Patrick Heron—Breon O’Casey (1928–2011) developed a multi-disciplinary practice spanning painting, sculpture, printmaking, and textile design. After moving to St Ives in 1959, he worked as an assistant to Denis Mitchell and later to Barbara Hepworth, who introduced him to the formal principles of sculpture.
O’Casey began weaving in the 1960s after reading about Navajo textile traditions, a discovery that proved transformative. As he reflected, “To see a rug grow so slowly, from thread after thread, was one of the greatest delights of my life.” His woven works blend abstraction and symbolism, drawing on nature, myth, and modernist design. This example, depicting a stylised bird, reflects the clarity of form and quiet lyricism characteristic of his textile output.
Origin: British
Period/Style: Mid-20th Century / St Ives School
Date: c. 1960s–70s
Material: Woven tapestry, framed
Dimensions: 147cm height × 89cm width
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Emerging from the middle generation of St Ives painters—including William Scott, Peter Lanyon and Patrick Heron—Breon O’Casey (1928–2011) developed a multi-disciplinary practice spanning painting, sculpture, printmaking, and textile design. After moving to St Ives in 1959, he worked as an assistant to Denis Mitchell and later to Barbara Hepworth, who introduced him to the formal principles of sculpture.
O’Casey began weaving in the 1960s after reading about Navajo textile traditions, a discovery that proved transformative. As he reflected, “To see a rug grow so slowly, from thread after thread, was one of the greatest delights of my life.” His woven works blend abstraction and symbolism, drawing on nature, myth, and modernist design. This example, depicting a stylised bird, reflects the clarity of form and quiet lyricism characteristic of his textile output.
Origin: British
Period/Style: Mid-20th Century / St Ives School
Date: c. 1960s–70s
Material: Woven tapestry, framed
Dimensions: 147cm height × 89cm width
+ Shipping Info
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