Monday, 23 May 2011

HBL Exhibition: Knoll Textiles, 1945 - 2010

Marga Hielle Vatter (upholstery) and Max Pearson (chair). Detail, Dynamic upholstery on model 46 chair. Ca. 1973. Steel, aluminum, foam rubber, and wool upholstery. Private collection.
During the ICFF in New York last week, WGSN-homebuildlife found a feast of pattern and colour inspiration at the opening of Knoll Textiles: 1945 - 2010, currently showing at the Bard Graduate Center on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The exhibition is the first ever comprehensive curation of Knoll's work and offers a fascinating insight into the brand's history.

Sven Markelius. Pythagoras. Introduced 1953. Linen and cotton, screen-printed. Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.


The show is organised by four time periods that take us from the formation of the brand to the early work of designers such as Stig Lindberg, Astrid Sampe and Marianne Strengell, who were at the time young, untried names. Moving through to the 1950s we see how Knoll's corporate commissions shaped the post-war office interiors, and the final section focuses on Knolls increased international outlook following the retirement of Florence Knoll in 1965.

Wolfgang Bauer. Collage.  Introduced 1969. Cotton velvet, screen-printed. Cora Ginsburg LLC.

The exhibition will be showing at the Bard Graduate Center until July 31.

Ross Littell. Mira. Introduced 1958. Linen, screen-printed. Private Collection.