A unique exhibition on textiles and fashion opened on March 24, 2022 at the Czech Center New York and showcases the best works by Prague natives, Zika and Lída Ascher. Originally shown in Prague in 2019, the exhibition was one of the Museum of Decorative Arts’ most successful modern projects of all time. The evening was opened by H. E. Hynek Kmoníček, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the US, and featured Czech artist Mirka Novak and the documentary Mad Silkman was screened. The opening was closed by Q&A with Peter and Robin Ascher and the curator of the exhibition, Ms Konstantina Hlaváčková.
The exhibition entitled The Mad Silkman: Zika & Lida Ascher. Textiles and Fashion will remain open to the public at the Czech Center in the Bohemian National Hall in New York until May 20th. It features more than 50 original designs, textile samples, photographs, drawings, and videos selected by the curator Konstantina Hlaváčková, Head of the Museum’s Textile and Fashion Collection. Most items in the exhibition are on generous loan from the Ascher Family Archive in the United States.
The pair became famous all around the world for their luxury printed scarves (known as “Ascher Squares”) designed by leading artists, including Henry Moore, Henri Matisse, André Derain, and many others. Ascher fabrics were immensely popular from the 1940s to the 1980s, frequently appearing in top high-fashion magazines and used by such European fashion houses as Christian Dior, Chanel, Balenciaga, Lanvin-Castillo, Pierre Cardin, Yves Saint Laurent, Alberto Fabiani, Ronald Paterson, Mary Quant, and David Sassoon.
The exhibition at the Czech Center New York will mark the first-ever presentation of the Aschers and their work in the United States.
Photo credit © Kristupas Stonys
The exhibition was mentioned on various online event platforms and media, i.e. GothamToGo, ARTFIX Daily, or Art Week.
The illustrious Czech couple has been subject of a book “Mad Silkman: Textiles & Fashion” (Slovart Publishing, 2019) and a documentary.
Author: Konstantina Hlaváčková
Publisher: Slovart Publishing, Ltd.
Publication date: 07/01/2019
Available on Amazon
