Quilts and Color at the Museum of Fine Arts

Quilts and Color: The Pilgrim/Roy Collection is due to open at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, from 6 April – 27 July 2014. Dazzling colours and striking patterns appear across sixty distinctive quilts from the renowned collection.

‘Quilts and Color: The Pilgrim/Roy Collection’ is due to open at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, from 6 April – 27 July 2014. Dazzling colours and striking patterns appear across sixty distinctive quilts from the renowned collection.

The bold designs are split into two sections – ‘Variations’ and ‘Optical Illusions’ reaffirming the work of mid-20^th century Abstract Expressionist and Op Artists.

The collection belongs to artist and designer Gerald Roy and the late Paul Pilgrim, who accumulated the eye-popping quilts over five decades. Beginning their collection in California, they amassed one of the finest collections in the world, totalling 1,200 examples from across the United States. Many were created by anonymous women who wanted a voice and opportunity to express themselves artistically, ranging from 19 century-Amish to Depression-era Missouri.

The exhibition not only looks at the quilts themselves, but also examines how colour theory relates to their designs. Each section of the exhibition (and the accompanying book) is introduced by abstract works of art—one painting and seven prints by artists such as Josef Albers, Victor Vasarely and Sol LeWitt—that offer a modern look at colour theory.

Museum goers also receive a colour wheel to help them understand and experience the colour theory explored in the show, such as vibration, gradation and contrast. Throughout the spring, the MFA will also offer a wide range of programming as part of its “Season of Color,” including screenings of technicolour musicals, a lecture on trends in colour and many more activities.

Quilt collector Gerald Roy

Double Wedding Ring quilt, African American, Missouri, about 1940

Field of Diamonds, American, about 1860

Sunburst, Mrs. Ephraim Scott (American), 1856

Thousand Pyramids, Amish, Holmes Country, Ohio, about 1930

Carpenter’s Wheel, Attributed to: Mrs. Miller (American). Mennonite, Pennsylvania, Easton, about 1890

Touching Sunbursts Quilt. American, Pennsylvania, 1854

Log Cabin, Barn Raising Variation Quilt. Attributed to: Mrs. Herrick. American, Massachusetts, 1879

Ocean Waves Quilt. Mennonite, Pennsylvania, 1880–1890

Bunches of Grapes. American, Ohio, about 1875

Tumbler’s Quilt. American, Pennsylvania, about 1920

Center Medallion Tied Child’s Comforter. American, Missouri, about 1910

Off Center Log Cabin Barn Raising Quilt. 1890