The work of Archibald Knox will be showcased at a new exhibition at the Manx Museum.
‘Archibald Knox: Artist, Designer, Teacher’ opens on Friday – it features a display of clocks, silverware, pewter and jewelry, some never been seen before on the Island.
Curated by the Archibald Knox Forum, the exhibition will go on display in the museum’s Cabinet of Curiosities and will showcase design work between 1898 and 1911.
“The more I see, the more fascinated I am by the sheer range and variation in his work.
“I never cease to be amazed by the intricacy and beauty of his designs.”
The roots to Knox’s designs can be found in his fascination with the carved Norse and Celtic stone crosses that had surrounded him from childhood on the Isle of Man.
He was educated in Douglas and was one of the first students to attend the newly formed Douglas School of Art in 1880.
Until 1897 he taught art at Douglas Grammar School, when he left to teach at various Art Schools in and around London.
Knox’s innovative and intricate designs were in the vanguard of early 20th Century European art and design and through his unique interpretation the art of the Manx crosses was transformed into iconic modern design.
Over 100 years on, Knox’s work is much admired, with his silverware recently voted ‘Britain’s Favorite Antique’ by readers of British Magazine ‘Homes and Antiques’.
