James Cropper in bloom at tulip exhibition

Print Solutions

James Cropper has supplied paper for the Turkish Tulips exhibition at The Bowes museum, County Durham. The exhibition, which opened on the 29 July and will run until the 5 November, is showcasing a colourful origami tulip display made exclusively from James Cropper’s Vanguard range.

The trail of tulips runs alongside over 30 contemporary artists’ work including Damien Hirst, Cornelia Parker, Gavin Turk and Sir Peter Blake.

Vanguard, James Cropper’s most popular coloured paper range, lends itself well to an array of custom made paper products due to its smooth uncoated surface and extensive collection of pastel and intense colours. The tulip inspired shades for the display include the likes of Gold, Tangerine, Cherry, Raspberry, Jade and Purple.

The floral treasure trail at the exhibition winds through the grand halls of the Bowes Museum, delving into Britain’s historical relationship with Europe and the Middle East. Curated by Gavin Turk, Turkish Tulips is staged as part of the museum’s 125th anniversary celebrations and combines contemporary art with antique artefacts. Thought provoking artworks are hidden among the collection, all of which illustrate the iconic flower.

Geoff Leech, art and framing director at James Cropper Paper, said: ‘Culture and heritage play a huge role in the Turkish Tulips exhibition and, with these being key values of our own, we are honoured to play a part in its history. The display is incredibly colourful and we are thrilled that the Bowes museum called upon our expertise to complete the exhibition.’

Based in the Lake District, James Cropper has long been associated with the world of art, providing high quality British papers for many leading art galleries, designers, conservationists, artists, writers and poets. Currently in production is the new James Cropper Art Selector, which showcases many of the artist papers made at the mill.

Geoff added, ‘The James Cropper Art Selector is an exciting project for us as we celebrate all of the specialty artists’ papers created at our mill. Like the works of art they support, our papers truly stand the test of time and it is great to see them brought together in this way.’

James Cropper will be showcasing its Art Selector at Packaging Innovations, which takes place on 13 and 14 September at Olympia, London. The company will be at stand H14.