317:. He and other great artists at the time put their trust in the quality of the Ascher printing and colour matching. "Artists commissioned by Zika Ascher were fortunate to have their work sensitively interpreted and skilfully put into repeat...Zika Ascher was insistent upon top quality printing and accurate colour matching; trials continued until design and printed fabric tallied exactly." (Valerie D. Mendes and Frances M. Hinchcliffe)
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There have been only four instances of production of the Henry Moore textiles and scarves by the
Aschers in the 65 years since they were designed: The first was in the late 1980s when Zika Ascher printed two designs for wall panels which had not previously been printed. The second was when the Henry
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in 1944 included paintings by Henry Moore, and there is footage of Zika Ascher trawling the
National Gallery rooms, inspecting Moore's work. It was not long before Ascher had Moore designing scarves, curtain fabrics and dress fabrics, creating a vibrant new design language that was to be accessible
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champion and he began his career of textile businessman. In
February 1939 he married his wife Lida, Ludmila born Tydlitátová (*1913 Prague), coming from a Catholic family as the youngest of 6 children (3 daughters), educated on the secondary school of trade and economy. The same year they moved to
113:, which contains extensive references and examples of Ascher textiles designed by Henry Moore. The book was published to coincide with an exhibition at the Henry Moore Foundation in 2008, which later went on tour. The book was published by
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Ascher's legacy is governed by their only son Peter. A 264-page book about the work of Ascher and his wife Lida, by
Valerie D. Mendes and Frances M. Hinchcliffe, in collaboration with Lida Ascher, was published by the
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in 1957. At the time, textile houses such as Ascher would present biannual collections of fabrics to the couturiers, who would then choose their fabrics from what was on offer. The first to use Ascher Mohair was
157:, 1988). Christian Dior referred to Ascher as "Mr Rose Pompom" after Ascher designed a beautiful rose-printed fabric in the 1950s, and used it extensively in the summer Haute Couture collection by Dior.
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Moore
Foundation asked the Aschers to reprint various curtain textiles that had faded over time at the artist's house at Perry Green. The third was a reprint of Moore scarves for the gift shop at
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because of shortages of other material immediately following the war. The artists were commissioned between 1946 and 1955; most contributed only one scarf design, but others, for instance
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are held in the V&A collection. The designs were commissioned by Zika Ascher from 1944 to 1946. The first collection of Henry Moore textiles printed by Ascher was introduced at the
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81:. In 1940 Zika entered the British army. In 1942, Zika and Lida Ascher set up their own textile company, Ascher (London) Ltd. Soon they collaborated with a cousin, Ernest
239:(Stella Magazine, November 2010). Eventually, 51 leading French and English artists designed scarves for Ascher. They were called "Artists' Squares" and, often printed on
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Autumn–Winter collection of 1964. A coat designed by Cristóbal
Balenciaga made with an Ascher green, red and pink hand-tufted mohair fabric was featured on the cover of
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London published a six-page monograph on Ascher in 1987. His work was displayed at the first major retrospective of
Balenciaga's work at the Silk Museum in
336:, describes the breadth of their achievements in these three related fields. Three photographic portraits of Zika Ascher are held in the collection at the
52:, art, and fashion. He created his own textile company, which made its name with experimental fabrics and scarves designed by famous contemporary artists.
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Ascher, who settled in Paris as an art businessman and helped them with trade contacts. The
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In 1969 Ascher experimented with a "disposable" paper fabric, which had to be made resilient enough not to tear. He commissioned
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and a third by
Francis Goodman. The Museum of Applied Arts in Prague organised a large research and exhibition under the title
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In 1946 Ascher went to Paris and, using a telephone in the Cafe du Rond Point des Champs-Élysées, called
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in 1992 credits Ascher with not only being the first to supply shaggy mohairs but also with introducing
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collections, "Les
Incroyables", featured many yards of Ascher's cream cheesecloth, drenched in water.
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and put her Happy Bubble design into production — it was made into a famous minidress designed by
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initiative, to introduce modern art to the "man on the street". The War Pictures at the
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Zika Ascher's significant influence on the collections of major couturiers, such as
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What was then known as The Ascher Project, to create innovative textiles based on
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businessman, artist and designer who became pre-eminent in the related fields of
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in a family of rich Jewish textile businessmen. He excelled as young successful
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and romantic lacy fabrics to the catwalks of the late 1950s and mid-'60s.
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A substantial number of Ascher textiles designed by the British artist
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published a book by Anita Feldman and Sue Pritchard in 2009, entitled
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in November 1964, eight years after the first Ascher mohair.
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The Mad Silkman- Zika and LĂda Ascher, textile and Fashion
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The Mad Silkman- Zika and LĂda Ascher, textile and Fashion
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Zika Ascher was responsible for introducing hand-tufted
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Czech artist and designer active in Britain (1910–1992)
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524:Ĺ ĂlenĂ˝ hedvábnĂk - Zika a LĂda Ascher, textil a mĂłda
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