Skip to main content
Embroideries of close ups mens clothing hang on a wall in a gallery space

Elizabeth Radcliffe

Dates: Sat 14 Aug 10:00 - Tue 14 Dec 2027 18:00

We're delighted to present a major retrospective of Scottish artist Elizabeth Radcliffe, celebrating more than four decades of her career. Practising in the classical tradition of hand weaving on a loom, Radcliffe has developed a singular body of works that serve as acts of dedication. Her weavings memorialise moments from her life, transforming familiar people, garments and everyday experiences through the remarkable investment of time and labour.

Influenced by the way garments fall and gather around the body, her tapestries explore clothing as both portraiture and material language, from early works depicting waxed motorcycle jackets to recent studies of tennis wear. Infused with a pop sensibility, Radcliffe’s synthesis of traditional craft methods and innovative techniques produces shaped and sculptural tapestries that challenge the conventional boundaries of the medium. 

Artist Biography

Elizabeth Radcliffe (b. 1949, Edinburgh, Scotland) lives and works in Edinburgh, Scotland. She received a Diploma in Art from Edinburgh College of Art in 1973. Selected solo and group exhibitions include: The Whitworth, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK (2025); National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland (2024–25); Margot Samel, New York, NY (2024); Tate Britain, London, UK (2023–24); Hopetoun House, Scotland (2023); Celine, Glasgow, Scotland (2022); Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia (2020); Serpentine Gallery, London, UK (2019); Lafayette Anticipations, Paris, France (2019); Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France (2013–14); French Institute, Edinburgh, Scotland (2012); Kunsthalle Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland (2011); Tweeddale Museum and Gallery, Peebles, Scotland (2011); Galerie La Tour, Montsalès, France (2011); and Musée de Design et d’Art Appliqué Contemporains, Lausanne, Switzerland (2008–09).

 

A tapestry of a ginger cat lying on patterned Persian rug
Elizabeth Radcliffe, Albie, 2024. Image courtesy of the artist and Margot Samel.
a tapestry of a women wearing a black dress over a white shirt and a black hat
Elizabeth Radcliffe, Youngjoo, 2014. Image courtesy of the artist and Margot Samel.
a tapestry of the close-up of a man wearing a polo shirt and a jacket
Elizabeth Radcliffe, Marta in Balmain, 2024. Image courtesy of the artist and Margot Samel
the corner of a gallery space with a tapestry of a man sitting on a chair and a cat on a rug
Elizabeth Radcliffe, exhibition view. Image courtesy of the artist and Margot Samel.
A tapestry of a ginger cat lying on patterned Persian rug
Elizabeth Radcliffe, Albie, 2024. Image courtesy of the artist and Margot Samel.
a tapestry of a women wearing a black dress over a white shirt and a black hat
Elizabeth Radcliffe, Youngjoo, 2014. Image courtesy of the artist and Margot Samel.
a tapestry of the close-up of a man wearing a polo shirt and a jacket
Elizabeth Radcliffe, Marta in Balmain, 2024. Image courtesy of the artist and Margot Samel
the corner of a gallery space with a tapestry of a man sitting on a chair and a cat on a rug
Elizabeth Radcliffe, exhibition view. Image courtesy of the artist and Margot Samel.
A tapestry of a ginger cat lying on patterned Persian rug
Elizabeth Radcliffe, Albie, 2024. Image courtesy of the artist and Margot Samel.
a tapestry of a women wearing a black dress over a white shirt and a black hat
Elizabeth Radcliffe, Youngjoo, 2014. Image courtesy of the artist and Margot Samel.
a tapestry of the close-up of a man wearing a polo shirt and a jacket
Elizabeth Radcliffe, Marta in Balmain, 2024. Image courtesy of the artist and Margot Samel
the corner of a gallery space with a tapestry of a man sitting on a chair and a cat on a rug
Elizabeth Radcliffe, exhibition view. Image courtesy of the artist and Margot Samel.

Upcoming exhibitions

Exhibition
a dark gallery space red lighting pushes up with screens on the wall

John Akomfrah: Listening All Night To The Rain

Sat 5 Dec 2026 - Sun 21 Mar 2027
More Info
Exhibition
A reimagining of a working mans club

Trackie McLeod

Sat 24 Apr - Sun 25 Jul 2027
More Info
Exhibition
a lady bathed in blue light with arms outreached in a hazy dark oval

Kialy Tihngang

Sat 24 Apr - Sun 25 Jul 2027
More Info
Exhibition
Embroideries of close ups mens clothing hang on a wall in a gallery space

Elizabeth Radcliffe

Sat 14 Aug - Tue 14 Dec 2027
More Info
Exhibition
a large sculpture that looks as though it is made out of clay with some bottles underneath

Gabriel Chaile

Sat 4 Dec 2027 - Sun 12 Mar 2028
More Info