Anchal Collaborates with the Guggenheim Museum for the Second Time

Anchal is proud to announce our second collaboration with the Guggenheim Museum Store honoring the works of Brooklyn-born artist, Alex Katz. The Guggenheim-exclusive, limited-edition capsule collection features three quilts, tote bags, weekender bags, scarves and quilted chore jackets - all heavily inspired by two renowned Alex Katz paintings - The Red Smile and Yellow Tree 1.

Back In 2018, Anchal partnered with the Guggenheim Museum for the first time to design an exclusive collection of textiles inspired by the modernist work of painter, Hilma af Klint. This collection, featuring two quilts, scarves, tote bags, and a cocoon jacket, incorporated abstract geometric forms and shades of brilliant color that exuded Hilma’s powerful work. After the success of this partnership, the Guggenheim Museum approached sisters Maggie and Colleen Clines this Spring to design a new collection for their upcoming exhibit.

THE PROCESS

With the goal of carrying over successful product types like quilts, the Guggenheim also wanted to focus on obtaining a younger demographic with the addition of new tote bags, scarves, weekenders and a new jacket silhouette. Anchal also wanted to elevate the collection by showing off how the artisans’ skills have grown by introducing a newly perfected appliqué technique - sewing a pieces of fabric onto a larger piece to form patterns or pictures. Anchal also wanted to introduce two new colors for the first time - light blue and cobalt blue.

Reflecting on Alex Katz’s use of large swathes of bold color, refined compositions and consistent economy of line, Maggie and Colleen Clines set out to design a unique collection that embodied these elements throughout his work. Looking to the paintings The Red Smile and Yellow Tree 1, in particular, the sisters began to sketch out concept ideas which were then rendered into digital drawings. 

As a collective effort, Maggie focused on dissecting his portraits and distilling the works into digestible blocks of color while Colleen devoted her attention to interpreting the spontaneity of the shapes and forms in the landscapes. Once the overarching designs were pitched and solidified, they went on to focus on translating their designs across different product offerings that would register with a younger demographic that often is pulled in by Alex Katz works.

ABOUT ALEX KATZ

Alex Katz is an American figurative painter most known for this large-scale simplified images of family and friends. He came of age when Abstract Expressionism still reigned, yet he turned to painting the human figure and landscapes through understated but monumental glimpses of the vernacular world. Taking inspiration from film, television and billboard advertisements, his highly stylized works had an everyday quality that linked them to commercial art and popular culture. Like Andy Warhol before him, Katz bridges the worlds of art and fashion. He’s created artwork for W magazine, modeled for J.Crew’s Spring catalog, and has even had world-famous supermodels, Kate Moss and Christy Turlington and Kate Moss sit for him.

Source: Alex Katz Instagram

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens by Russian immigrant parents, both of whom were very interested in poetry and the arts, Katz went on to attend The Cooper Union Art School in Manhattan and later was awarded a scholarship for a summer study at the Skowhegan School for Painting and Sculpture in Maine. Whereas one taught him theory and technique, the other exposed him to modern art and taught him to paint from drawings which would become a pivotal point in his career and remains a staple in his practices to this day. Alex Katz’s work has been the subject of more than 250 solo exhibitions since 1951.

Source: AlexKatz.com, SmithsonianMag.com

A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY

Every piece in the collection, like all Anchal products, blend traditional, handmade craft with contemporary design - revolutionizing handmade textiles for the modern home. Designed in Louisville, KY and expertly handcrafted by our team of talented artisans in India, this collaboration is one we could not be more proud of. As the complexity of our designs heighten and the skillset of the artisans expand, we look forward to expanding our offering in new and exciting ways.

The limited-edition collection is available to order online now at the Guggenheim Museum Store. You can see the newest exhibit, Alex Katz: Gathering, in person at the Guggenheim Museum October 21, 2022 - February 20, 2023.