“You will see colour, great invention, great imagination, and great variety in this show,” said art historian Dr Elizabeth Cumming, curator of the Tapestry: Weaving the Century at Dovecot Studios 1912 – 2012 exhibition at Compton Verney. The Edinburgh-based Dovecot Studios celebrate their centenary this year with a major exhibition, shown first in Edinburgh and now Warwickshire, featuring 60 rarely seen tapestries and rugs loaned from museums and private collections in America and Britain. In its hundred year history, Dovecot’s weavers have built a reputation for excellence, producing more than 700 tapestries and rugs, from traditional hangings to experimental textile art, often working in collaboration with leading modern and contemporary artists.

“The palette alters throughout the exhibition,” said Cumming. The show is arranged chronologically. A photo in the opening room shows the very first Dovecot tapestry, woven between 1912 and 1924. Figurative and even-toned, The Lord of the Hunt is exactly the sort of traditional tapestry you’d expect to see displayed at the Bute family home at Mount Stuart (the 4th Marquess of Bute established Dovecote Studios in 1912 to supply his homes with tapestries). Alfred Priest’s finely-woven The Admirable Crichton (1927-30), also in the opening gallery, is in a similar vein. From the 1950s onwards ideas and designs evolve from Arts and Crafts ideals into more modern, Neo-Romantic art. Artist-designed tapestries come from Graham Sutherland, Edward Wadsworth, Edward Bawden and Cecil Beaton. In the 1960s and 70s designs become freer and more expressive – this was the high point for Dovecot commissions, Cumming explained, a period when a quest for experimentation dominated – and we see some superb pieces from Elizabeth Blackadder, David Hockney, Eduardo Paolozzi, and Tom Phillips (his After Benches apparently inspired by a faded image from Phillips’ postcard collection). Paolozzi’s Whitworth Tapestry (1967-8) is an absolute stunner (see picture above). Never before had the weavers worked with such a vivid palette. It is based on a collage of original prints, inspired by Disney. Cumming said the weavers loved working on it, it felt so new and daring.

Finishing with some stunning 21st century designs (including an exquisite sculpture, Blue Curve, an exploration of 3D in tapestry – it’s small, don’t miss it), this show is far more than a dip into the history of Britain’s oldest tapestry studio. It suggests that weaving is very much alive - that weavers are as skilled and eager to experiment as ever they were. And you can have a go. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday the Stratford-upon-Avon Guild of Weavers, Spinner and Dyers are there so you can try your hand at weaving on the loom.

Until Sunday, December 16. For information and events see: www.comptonverney.org.uk Compton Verney is open Tuesday – Sunday, 11am – 5pm.