Bernat Klein: Colour Revolution

Lisa Mason will introduce designer and colour consultant Bernat Klein (1922-2014) and the extensive archive of his work held by National Museums Scotland. Klein was displaced from his country of birth by the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia and went on to produce innovative fashion fabrics for the couture houses of Europe and to work on important interior design commissions. Klein will be situated within the context of a wider cohort of émigré designers practicing in post-war Britain.

Lisa Mason is Assistant Curator of Modern & Contemporary Design at National Museums Scotland, Chair of the Dress and Textile Specialists, and a Trustee of the Bernat Klein Foundation. Her research interests include textile design in post-war Britain, modern tapestry, and design archives. She is the curator of Bernat Klein: Design in Colour, currently on show at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh until 23 April.

This event will be chaired by design historian Dr.Anna Nyburg, author of a book on the émigré contribution to British art publishing and another on the refugees’ contribution to British fashion. Two of her essays appeared in Insiders/Outsiders: Refugees from Nazi Europe and their Contribution to British Visual Culture. She has also co-produced a film about refugee designers entitled ‘Refuge Britain’, which will be screened at the National Museum of Scotland on 4 March.

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Image: Sample of tweed entitled Aurora, woven in multiply wool slub and multiply wool and polyester and wool yarns, in light and dark blue, orange, red, pink, purple and green (1964–65). © Bernat Klein. With permission National Museums Scotland.