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from the Neue Galerie Exhibition
The power of the past and its influence on design is something we talk about here all the time.
How can it not be so? I appreciate the modern , the new-but let it be grounded in the firmament of history. For me-it doesn't count if it does not spring from the past.
Madeline Weinrib is always reaching back to create vibrant new designs from the past for modern life. Her Ikat textiles and carpets are saturated in updated rich color and their patterns evolve from her years of travel and diligence in working with the authentic and skilled craftsmen to stretch those contexts into the future. She does it like no other. I find her bespoke approach to be a unique one in the world of mass, mass, more, more. One of her ongoing collaborations is with Neue Galerie, here she creates a special kimono in the Opium pattern in celebration of their VIENNA 1900 Exhibition.
According to Neue Galerie the OPIUM KIMONO was inspired by the photograph of Viennese photographer Madame d'Ora. The Weinrib kimono fully reflects the mode of the photograph's Eastern influence. Viennese artists took Eastern influences for their own and indelibly marked them as theirs during the artistic Renaissance in early 20th century Vienna. The Opium pattern by Weinrib is exclusive to Neue Galerie and is woven from resist-dyed silk threads over many months.
Madame Dora Kallmus was the first woman to be admitted to study theory at the Graphische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt (Graphic Training Institute) & was also a member of the Vienna Photographic Society. Kallmus used the name "Madame d'Ora" professionally throughout her professional life and was a favorite of the aristocracy and celebrity in Vienna and Paris where she had studios. In 1940 Madame fled Paris when the Nazis invaded France.
Artist self-portrait 1925
revealing her beautifully long hands and heavy lids
Madame D'Ora portraits of Maria Ley IM Rokoko 1924, at l., & Tamara Lempicka, at r., 1929
two of my favorite photographs by D'Ora
story LINKS below:
the Opium Kimono is available at the Design Shop, Neue Galerie-here
the Exhibition runs through June 27 of this year, more information here
in the Gallery here
Vienna 1900 art works here
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