The landmark retrospective exhibition of the work of John Makepeace, named ‘John Makepeace – Enriching the Language of Furniture’, is sponsored by the Arts Council, displaying Makepeace’s furniture over the 50 years of his career. Co-ordinated by the Devon Guild of Craftsmen, the exhibition will tour major galleries across the UK throughout 2011.

The show will bring together 25 pieces from public and private collections in the UK and abroad, some not previously seen by the public, along with recent works. This includes designs made in limited editions from a single tree. After its opening at the Devon Guild, from 18 Sept – 29 Oct 2010, the show will go on a national tour to spaces including the Harley Gallery, Nottinghamshire, the Crafts Study Centre, Surrey and Somerset House, London, with the support of Arts Council England.

Each venue has been selected to provide a dramatic setting for Makepeace’s most unique pieces, such as the ‘Phoenix’ chair and ‘Ripple’ chest. The exhibits will also include the famous ‘Mitre’ ebony chair made to celebrate the Queen and Prince Phillip’s Silver Wedding Anniversary.

‘Ripple’ is a chest carved with wave forms penetrating the surface of the oak, from a Longleat oak originally planted in 1740 and harvested in 1980. This furniture is considered important by the way the surface pattern breaks through to the surface of the timber. Mitre is an iconic piece in the field of laminated furniture. The ‘Phoenix’ chair is a blend of native holly, oak and burr elm evoking nature’s capacity for renewal.

A variety of unique designer tables, chairs and cabinets are to his credit. Some of the famous chairs crafted by him include: Sylvan, Trine, Knot, Millennium, Throne, Petal, Rondo, Embrace, Vine, Herald, and Keble. Table designs include: Mulberry, Jurassic, Quadrofoil, Wave, Bird, Time, Standing Stones, Trilogy, Spring, Cluster, English Fruits, and Forum. Some of the cabinets designed by Makepeace are: Flow, Spectrum, Windsor, Arcade, Obelisk, Sand, HMS Alfred, Eighteen, and Petra.

Makepeace’s own work is represented in numerous collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; the Museum fur Kunstandwerk, Frankfurt; and the Arts Institute, Chicago. He now works to commission and has recently introduced a range of affordable limited editions.

Makepeace became an OBE (1988) for services to furniture design, and was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Furniture Society (USA) in 2002. He is also an Honorary Fellow of the Devon Guild of Craftsmen, the organisers of the exhibition and tour.