The Fashion and Textile Museum in London is mounting an exhibition that juxtaposes Missoni textiles with 20th century artworks to highlight the Italian fashion brand’s strong links to the Modernist movement. Ottavio and Rosita Missoni met in London before founding their fashion brand in Italy in 1953, and the development of their signature graphic fabric was deeply influenced by the work of modernist artists like Sonia Delaunay, Paul Klee, Lucio Fontana, and Gino Severini.

The “Missoni Art Color” exhibition, now running until September 4, showcases Missoni textiles and fashion pieces alongside paintings by leading 20th century European artists, and also presents previously unseen textile studies and paintings and a huge wall hanging of knitted patchwork by Ottavio Missoni.

Sketches for fabric designs are shown alongside the graphic works of Giacomo Balla, Gianni Bertini, Atanasio Soldati, Delaunay, and Fontana, while 42 looks on mannequins are gathered on a pyramid of stairs, adding the familiar riot of color, stripes, and zigzags associated with the brand.

These pieces are drawn from the MA*GA Art Museum in Gallarate, Italy, where the exhibition was first presented (see photos here), and from private collections in Italy.

As first published on BlouinArtinfo.com