21st Apr, 2026 10:00
Design
34
▲ Sir Brian Clarke (British, 1953-2025)
'The Carmelite' tapestry,
conceived 1991, executed 1992, wool
350 x 558cm
Provenance:The Estate of the late Richard Collins, acquired from the Carmelite Riverside when it was demolished in 2013.
Footnote:Literature: Brian Clarke, Martin Harrison and Kenneth Powell, 'Brian Clarke: Architectural Artist', Academy Editions, London, 1994, p. 128; ill. p. 102;
Paul Barnett and Paul Beldock, 'Brian Clarke: Designs on Architecture', Oldham Art Gallery, ill. (unpaginated).
The Carmelite House in London, then home of Associated Newspapers, was a high-tech building, originally built in the 1980s by architects Tim Kempster and Norman Foster. For its atrium, Brian Clarke designed five monumental cut-pile tapestries and a series of stained-glass windows on the Thames-side façade, along the Victoria Embankment, and on the Carmelite Street elevation. Designed in 1991 and completed in 1992, the tapestries totalled 3,365 square feet.
Clarke said:
'When I was initially approached to do a project at the Carmelite, […] my solution was to link the floors together vertically with tapestry. The story unfolds to you in its complexity and simplicity as you move between floors, or look across from the lifts or walkways. The tapestries brought colour to the back of the building and made it a happening space where you’d want to be. I also designed a series of stained-glass lancet windows on the river-side of the Carmelite – they could be seen at night from the Royal College of Heralds.'
Carmelite Riverside was demolished, and the project disassembled, in 2013.
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£10,000 - £15,000
Buyer's premium: 30.00% (inclusive of VAT, where applicable)
Artist's Resale Right may apply to this lot
Condition Report
Structurally sound and in good overall condition. Some missing hemp to the reverse.
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Auction: Design, 21st Apr, 2026
Viewing
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Sunday 19 April, 10am - 1pm
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