Design, circa 1912 - Omega Workshop - Framed art Print

In 1912, the Omega Workshops sprang to life, thanks to the efforts of Roger Fry, a well known artist and influential art critic. Fry was a key figure in the Bloomsbury Group, a collective of artists, philosophers, and writers based in Central London known for their nonconformist lifestyles. His goal was to elevate British standards in decorative arts, broaden the appreciation for artistic creations, and provide employment opportunities for up-and-coming student painters.

Fry set up the Omega Workshops as a counterpoint to the perceived monotony and rigidity in interior design. His mission was to infuse the decorative arts with a sense of vitality, encouraging an approach that was more free-flowing and akin to painting. He sought to maintain the unrefined charm of primitive or peasant artwork, but adapt it to meet modern cultivated man's needs and emotions.

On 8th July 1913, 33 Fitzroy Square in Bloomsbury, London saw the opening of the Workshops, which were received with cautious enthusiasm.

Fry made spontaneity the underlying theme of the Omega Workshops. His vision was to nurture multi-skilled artists, capable of designing furniture, ceramics, and book illustrations, in addition to painting and sculpting, drawing inspiration from the artists of the Italian Renaissance. Believing that furniture and objects should be chosen for their aesthetic appeal rather than the artist's fame, Fry insisted that all works remained unnamed.