Come and see this 8-foot mural, created in the 1960s by noted German artist Grete Marks (1899-1990.) The mural depicts Bradford’s Forster Square as it appeared over a century ago. It has undergone a major restoration to celebrate Bradford’s year as UK City of Culture and is now on display in the main entrance of Salts Mill, open 10am-5pm, Wednesday – Sunday.
Grete Marks trained at the Bauhaus. She was commissioned to design the mural for the entrance of Central House offices in Forster Square, Bradford.
Marks was, to quote Pallant House Gallery, “an artist who fought for artistic integrity during some of the most turbulent moments the 20th century.” She is best known for her ceramics, which were declared “degenerate” by the Nazis. Marks left Germany with her two children in 1935 and came to England. She began to paint more. By the 1950s Marks was regularly showing in London alongside Ben Nicholson and John Piper.
The mural artwork is based on a Victorian watercolour by Neil Stuart Crichton. It captures the canal basin and Bradford Cathedral, reflecting the city’s rich industrial past. This evocative image, now rendered in ceramic, bears the distinctive style of Marks.
The mural was discovered by employees of Incommunities, one of Bradford’s largest housing providers, in a building they owned.
Hidden behind a false wall in an office block, the piece was then stored in a warehouse for over 10 years and was in need of extensive restoration.
Working over the course of 12 months, top ceramics restorer Fiona J. Hutchinson – who is more used to working on things the size of a teacup or vase – has restored the mural to its former glory, working from a temporary workshop in an old mill shed here at Salts. Speaking of the restoration work, Fiona said: “It’s certainly been a challenge, but the more I worked on the piece the more I came to love it and appreciate the huge amount of work, both physical and mental, that Grete Marks put into its creation. It has been an honour to restore this extraordinary artwork to its former glory and I am delighted to see it finally on show for the public to enjoy once more.”
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