Missoni Art Colour

May 9, 2016

On Saturday I visited the just opened Missoni Art Colour exhibition at the Fashion and Textile museum. As a lifelong fan, I couldn’t really wait to go and see it.

In 2009, I was fortunate enough to visit the hugely popular and mega inspirational Workshop Missoni Daring To Be Different at the Estorick Collection so my expectations are pretty high. This exhibition was divised in 2015 between Missoni and museo MA*GA in Italy and London is the first city outside Italy it has travelled to.

The exhibition focuses on what inspired the Missoni’s. Art from Europe’s Modernist era including the work of, Sonia Delaunay, Giacomo Balla and Gino Severini, whose dynamic images reveal close parallels with the geometric patterns of Missoni fabrics. Personal artwork by Ottavio Missoni is is mixed with the modernist masterpieces.

Detail of Gino Severini, ‘Ballerina’, ca. 1957, oil on canvas, private collection

Detail of Gianni Monnet’s Construction – 1946, oil on canvas, Collection MA*GA Art Museum, Gallarate, Italy // image © colourliving

Over 100 garments from Missoni’s archives are showcased here // image © colourliving

Detail of fabric of one of the 100 garments showcased here // image © colourliving

Original Missoni sketch // image © colourliving

Some Missoni knit samples from the 1980s showcasing the vast diversity in color, pattern and textures of Missoni’s fabrics // image © colourliving

So, what do I think? I don’t think anything will come close to the exhibition at the Estorick Collection. This seems like a much smaller and (to me) inferior version. However, if you’ve not seen a Missoni exhibition before and you like colour, patterns, textiles and fashion, do not miss it under any circumstances.

Missoni Art Colour
Exhibition dates: 6 May – 4 September 2016
Fashion and Textile Museum
83 Bermondsey Street,
London SE1 3XF

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