Obituary: Doris ‘Pip’ Rau, Central Asian Textile Dealer and Adventurer

Doris Rau, affectionately known as Pip, passed away at the age of 86. She was renowned for her expertise in Central Asian antique textiles and costumes, and for four decades, she operated a shop named Rau in Islington, north London. Her stock primarily featured exquisite items from Uzbekistan, northern Pakistan, and Afghanistan, a country she admired deeply and visited annually for many years.

Rau’s collection was sought after by film designers, and items from her shop were featured in movies such as the 1980 film adaptation of ‘Flash Gordon’ and the 2000 blockbuster ‘Gladiator.’ Her notable assemblage of ikat textiles, recognized for their complex resist-dying and weaving technique, was exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2007.

Rau was born to Jewish parents, Fred Rau and Hanna Felsenstein. Known for her rebellious nature, she frequently moved schools and was expelled multiple times. At the age of 16, she attended St Martin’s School of Art in London but was soon sent to Israel by her father, who believed kibbutz life would instill the discipline she needed. Tragically, by the age of 19, she had lost both parents.

Her academic pursuits included studying at London’s Central School of Arts and Crafts, as well as art institutions in Jerusalem, San Francisco, and Paris. Rau lived at the iconic Beat Hotel in Paris, where the beat poet Allen Ginsberg introduced her to the counterculture lifestyle, including marijuana.

Rau’s travels took her across the United States in 1960, and during her time in New York, she was briefly imprisoned for participating in a nuclear disarmament rally. That same year, a severe car accident in Russia almost cost her life, and it was during her hospitalization that a Russian army colonel proposed to her, an offer she declined.

In 1963, she married Israeli actor Ili Gorlizki and had two sons, Yoram and Alexander. The marriage ended in 1975 following a prolonged separation. During these years, Rau continued to expand her business, frequently visiting Central Asia and sourcing materials with her well-known adventurous spirit and sharp negotiating skills. She made her initial journey to Afghanistan in 1973, becoming a familiar face among local dealers.

Rau decided to close her shop in 2014, feeling it had reached its natural end. After a prolonged search of about a decade, she reconnected with her child given up for adoption in 1997, developing a warm relationship thereafter. In retirement, Rau dedicated herself to her collections of Uzbek embroideries, ikats, and early 20th-century Central Asian photographs. Although her visits to Afghanistan dwindled after the rise of the Taliban and the events of 9/11, she continued to travel extensively.

Doris ‘Pip’ Rau is survived by her children, including her adopted child, Yoram, and Alexander, and her two elder brothers, John and Stephen.