There’s a common narrative to the twentieth century that appears to be becoming forgotten, perhaps hidden, from our contemporary collective conscience. It’s the story of the aspiring, successful and celebrated migrant – and there are far too many to count. The first, and particularly Second World War, were two major catalysts in this; conflict and segregation forced many from their homes and countries of origin. The affects of this caused many ripples, most of them positive, around the entire world.
This is rather notable when examining the world of art and design, an arena where liberal and often-dissenting voices were abundant, and as a result, wilfully combated with force, often in the most extreme of senses. One such example is being celebrated at the Fashion and Textile Museum between January and May. Josef Frank is said to be one of the most influential designers in Sweden, ever. Born into a cosmopolitan Jewish family in Vienna, Frank only moved to Stockholm in 1933 at the age of 48.
There’s little surprise that a country already so famed and revered for it’s own design credentials should want to claim Frank as one of its own. Whilst Frank trained and practiced as an architect, his illustrative style of heavily detailed repeat patterns that more often than not, celebrate the natural world, have a vibrancy bought about by bright yet harmonious colour ways that were unique to their time and have been heavily referenced by print designers ever since.
The show brings together a number of his print designs, displayed as full width drops on fabric and upholstered onto furniture, as well as a selection of his previously unseen watercolours, whilst also sensitively re-telling the story of his life and career.
The watercolours share in some of the motifs of his gloriously positive designs, with natural landscapes and still life depictions of flora and fauna a consistent visual thread. Whilst the show seeks to address the revelatory nature of discovering so many of these previously unknown and charming paintings, it’s in seeing his original print designs, up close and on a huge scale, that makes the show a must see!
For more information about the show, visit the Fashion and Textile Museum website .
