The Paintings of Bernat Klein
Margaret Howell is to host an exhibition ‘Paintings by Bernat Klein 1963-2013’ from 28 October – 19 November 2017.
“I visualised colours in their multitudes to remain an amorphous, cloudy hint of tints, of softness and endless possibilities… I dreamt of cloth vibrant with colour. I wanted reds that were redder and blues that were bluer than anything I had seen before.” — Bernat Klein, Eye for Colour
Bernat Klein started painting in the early 1960s and continued until the week he died in 2014, aged 91. This is the first time his private collection of canvases has been shown outside of his home in the Scottish Borders.
Born in 1922 in Senta, Serbia, Klein was initially educated first at home and afterwards at the Bezalel School of Art, Jerusalem. Later in 1945, Klein travelled to Britain to study textile design at Leeds University. After university he set up a small company in the Scottish Borders to produce woven cloth and knitting yarns. Klein introduced Scottish fabric to the design world through his close links with fashion houses, such as Chanel and Dior. His passion for colour defined his textiles and paintings in the otherwise drab post-war era.
In 1957, Bernat Klein commissioned architect Peter Womersley to design his home, the Klein House, which was recently for sale with The Modern House. The modernist building has extensive views over the Scottish Borders with colours and textures that inspired many of Klein’s paintings.
The paintings will be available to purchase at the Margaret Howell shop on Wigmore Street for the duration of the exhibition. The exhibition runs from 28 October until 19 November.
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