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Jane Dillon, (designer and artist)

Jane Dillon (née Young, b. 1943) is a British designer and artist who has made significant contributions to furniture and lighting design across America and Europe.

One of the few female international designers of her generation, Jane Dillon’s designs have encompassed contract and domestic furniture, lighting, textile and digital fabric printing, childrens furniture, glassware, cutlery, colour consultancy, art direction and graphic design.

Dillon studied iterior design at Manchester College of Art then furniture design from 1966-1971 at the Royal College of Art under the professorship of David Pye where he was a contemporary of artists Richard Wentworth, George Hardie, Roger Dean and industrial designer James Dyson.

In 1968 Dillon won the Royal College of Art Travel Scholarship and went to work for Ettore Sottsass at Olivetti Milan on the colour work of 'Synthesis 45' and 'Office of The Future' ranges.

Jane Dillon (nee Young) with Moveable T Time Chair, 1968

Dillon married ex-RCA fellow design student Charles Dillon in 1971. Inspired by American designers Charles & Ray Eames they founded Charles & Jane Dillon Associates in Chelsea, London. Their first collaborative effort ‘Flexible Seating System’ won the 1972 Dunlopillo Design Award whose jurors included Dieter Rams and Kenneth Grange. In 1972 along with their close friends sculptors Richard and Jane Wentworth, Carl Plackman and Sue Saunders, they founded Dilston Studio at Dilston Grove, Bermondsey, London.

The Dillons were twice selected for the Adi-Fad Delta Awards for their seating ranges 'Actis' and 'Jobber' and their work has been featured across the international design press. Their ‘Cometa Kite Light’ (1972) is considered an influential piece of British design and is held in the design collection at the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art.

Jobber Chairs designed by Charles & Jane Dillon, 1975

Kite 'Cometa' Light, 1971 by Charles & Jane Dillon

Charles Dillon with Tallo Lights, 1975

Her collaborative multi-disciplinary studio has produced designs for Herman Miller USA, Olivetti Italy, Cassina Italy, Zanotta Italy, Salviatti / Murano Glassware Italy, Planular Italy, Kron, Perobell, Casas, Amat, B.D Edicions de Deseno, Vincon Barcelona, Disform, Santa & Cole, Habitat, Heals, Conran Shop, Lloyd Loom UK, Wolff Ollins, Luke Hughes & Company amongst others.

With partners Peter Wheeler and Floris van den Broecke, she founded Dillon, Wheeler, Van der Broecke and later collaborated with Tom Grieves as Studio Dillon.

Over 32 years she taught furniture and industrial design at the Royal College of Art and was made an Honorary Fellow in 2006.

After closing her studio in 2008, the V&A Museum acquired her entire studio archive of drawings, prototypes, photographs and slides.

Since 2009, Dillon has concentrated on communicating her ideas through printmaking and digital printing resulting in a solo exhibition in London in 2011.

She lives and works in London and affiliated to Artichoke Print Studio.