Kaffe Fassett: The Power of Pattern is a deep dive into Fassett’s artistic vision. The objects on display come from artists from around the world, hand-picked by Fassett himself, and show the breadth of his influence. The exhibition explores the later part of Fassett’s body of work, in which he focuses on patchwork techniques and develops patterned fabrics for quilting. 

The exhibition extends along the floor, walls and ceiling of the art gallery and envelops the visitor with an abundance of colours, patterns and textures. We are first met by Fassett himself in a film, where the artist discusses pattern-making with his collaborating designers, Brandon Mably and Philip Jacobs, at the Kaffe Fassett Collective. The creative process forms a common thread throughout the exhibition and offers visitors a mesmerising visual experience. 

Kaffe Fassett (b. 1937 in San Francisco, USA), is one of the most vibrant and innovative textile artists of our time. Based in London since the 1960s, he has devoted his career, which spans over 50years, to exploring knitting, embroidery and quilting. In the latter part of his career, Fassett has focused on quilting and has developed patterned fabrics for quilting together with a group of textile artists, including Brandon Mably and Philip Jacobs.

The exhibition opens to the public on 30 September 2023 and runs until 28 January 2024, and will be displayed in Millesgården Museum’s art gallery as well as in Anne´s House. 

Kaffe Fassett: The Power of Pattern is organised by the Fashion and Textile Museum, London in close collaboration with both the artist himself and the Kaffe Fassett Collective. In addition to London, the exhibition has also been shown at Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh before coming to the Millesgården Museum. 

Participating artists: 
Kaffe Fassett, Brandon Mably, Philip Jacobs, Karen Hughes, Dora Mollov, Kathy Doughthy, Liza Prior Lucy, Judy Irish, Karen K Stone, Kitty Sorgen, Kim Allen, Susan Carlson, Wendy Rohde, Kim McLean, Kay Fernihough, Jo Dixey, Danny Liu Amazonas, Victoria Findlay Wolfe, Shelly Pagliai, Corlissa Searcey, Patty Harants, Judy Stone, Vicky Wozniak, Jamie Wallen, Pam Goecke Dinndorf, Sarah Caldwell, Wendy Wilson, Sophie Standing and Karen Miller Winton.

www.fashiontextilemuseum.org

Mats Gustafson (b. 1951) began his career as an illustrator in the late 1970s. His elegant and subtly expressive watercolours and pastel works expanded the scope and possibilities of fashion illustration. His works reinvigorated the genre. Among his clients we find Hermès, Svenskt Tenn, Tiffany & Co. and Yohji Yamamoto. For the past ten years, Gustafson has primarily worked for the Dior Fashion House. 

Side by side with fashion illustration, his brush strokes have conjured up portraits: of people, stones, and swans. He turns his gaze repeatedly to the nature on Long Island in the U.S, where he has lived for 20 years. His work has recently been exhibited in the Nordic Watercolour Museum and CFHILL.

Ted Muehling (b. 1953) has designed jewellery and decorative objects inspired by organic forms in nature since 1976. In his New York City studio, he produces pieces using semi-precious stones, metals, pearls, horn, plastic and wood. Boxes, jewellery, vases, a mirror; often unique pieces, dedicated to a friend. Always with nature as a starting point. Avoiding the conventions and limitations of industrial design, he works on his own designs in an artisanal fashion, where time is not an obstacle and quantity is not a necessity.

The Gustafson and Muehling art shares a common language as they explore textures. The texture of fabrics, skin, shells, sand, stone and metals. Muehling’s cabinets of curiosities with collections of natural artefacts and ancient fossils, and Gustafson’s solitary watercolour stones and haute couture of rapid brush strokes, address the eternal questions of life’s transitory nature – memento mori.

The exhibition at Millesgården shows the two artists’ work side by side in a spirited environment – with antique portrait busts, Baroque furnishings and cabinets of curiosities filled with the wonders of nature. The curator is designer Tom Hedqvist (b. 1948).


Thank you DR HERBERT & ANNE-MARIE LEMBCKE AD-INFINITUM-FOUNDATION and Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation for supporting the exhibition and THE ROBERT WEIL FAMILY FOUNDATION for framing contributions.

“Trivial details can be filled with meaning” writes Hanna Hellquist (b. 1980) and reveals that she is obsessed with setting the table beautifully; with creating a table. And perhaps it is especially important to find significance in the small things when life is uncertain and the world is in a turmoil. To create meaning in an otherwise grey existence.

The meal as a motif has been present in art since antiquity. Often laden with symbols and full of allegories, like the 17th century still life – nature morte – in which compositions of platters laden with bunches of grapes, flowers and butterflies could be designed to manifest wealth and worldliness but also poverty and misery.

The many facets of a dinner table extend along lengths of table settings in Millesgården’s exhibition hall and evoke thoughts – big and small – about life.

Current research shows that mental well-being is promoted by coming together around a meal and sitting down at our leisure. The same studies also show that fewer and fewer people do so.

Hanna Hellquist is a journalist and frequently appears in television and radio. For the exhibition at Millesgården, she has invited designers, artists and creators, including Marie-Louise Ekman and Evelina Kroon to celebrate the pleasure and praise of the set table.