zanotta.comImage source: Joe Tilson
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Designer
Joe Tilson
Joe Tilson was born in London in 1928. After work as a carpenter and joiner and service in the RAF, he studied at St Martin's School of Art and the Royal College of Art. The Rome Prize took him to Italy in 1955.
Biography
Background
Joe Tilson was born in London in 1928. After work as a carpenter and joiner and service in the RAF, he studied at St Martin's School of Art and the Royal College of Art. The Rome Prize took him to Italy in 1955.
Teaching and exhibitions
Tilson taught at St Martin's, the Slade, University College London, King's College in Newcastle, the School of Visual Arts in New York and the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Hamburg. He exhibited in the British Pavilion at the 1964 Venice Biennale.
Alchera
Around 1970 Tilson moved beyond his earlier Pop Art work and began the Alchera series. His official archive connects it to Mediterranean traditions, mnemonic structures, the elements, seasons, lunar months, labyrinths, words and symbols.
Recognition and Zanotta
Tilson's first London solo exhibition took place in 1962. He joined the Royal Academy in 1985, and Zanotta credits him with the Alchera chest in its Edizioni programme. He died in 2023.
