We recently featured a Textile Talks from the International Quilt Museum discussing the evolution of Abstract design in quilts over the previous fifty years. Today we'd like to go more in depth with that exhibit, called the single most influential quilt exhibition ever, when the Whitney Museum of Arts covered its walls with antique quilts in 1971 and its current revival in 2021.

Below is the press release from the International Quilt Museum discussing the original exhibit, and the revival of the exhibit currently on display at the museum. After the release, you'll find a brief video of one of the original curator's, Jonathan Holstein, reminiscing with the Quilt museum's advisory board about that historic 1971 Whitney show. Plus, read advisory board member, and The Quilt Show guest, Meg Cox's comments on the exhibit, along with her favorite quilt and some photos of Jonathan from the exhibit then and today.

Learn about the show and see all the quilts in the exhibition by clicking here and going to "Now Showing" under the Exhibitions tab on the Quilt Museum's website.

Click Here to watch the Textitle Talks on Abstract Quilts.

From the International Quilt Museum:

Abstract Design in American Quilts at 50: An Exhibition Series

"In 2021, the International Quilt Museum (IQM) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking exhibition, Abstract Design in American Quilts. The 1971 exhibition, presented by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, was the first time a major New York art museum displayed historical quilts on walls more commonly used to display modern art such as abstract expressionist paintings. The Exhibition is remembered as a pivotal moment in the intersecting histories of art, craft, and design. The pieced antique quilts from the Jonathan Holstein and Gail van der Hoof Collection went on to travel across the U.S., and to Europe and Japan.

A last-minute addition to the Whitney’s summer schedule, Abstract Design in American Quilts far exceeded the reach and impact its creators initially anticipated. In short, it became a cultural phenomenon, attracting unexpectedly large and enthusiastic audiences, quickly selling out its catalog and garnering outsized praise from eminent critics.

“A stunning revelation.”

--Hilton Kramer, New York Times art critic, July 3, 1971

In addition to showing pieces from the original exhibition—which are now part of the International Quilt Museum’s permanent collection—Abstract Design in American Quilts at 50 will also feature three supporting exhibits inspired by it. “In this series we wanted to bring the 1971 exhibition forward and show how it made an impact over the last half century,” said Marin Hanson, IQM Curator of International Collections. “We wanted to talk about the influence of Abstract Design in American Quilts over time and across the globe.”

The main exhibition (March 26 to September 4, 2021) is a reinstallation of the majority of the 1971 Whitney quilts, curated by IQM’s Ardis B. James Curator of Collections Carolyn Ducey, with input from the original collector and curator, Jonathan Holstein.

The second exhibit, New York Nexus (March 5 to August 7, 2021), is guest curated by Sandra Sider, editor of Art Quilt Quarterly. It will examine the impact of the Whitney show on the larger worlds of studio craft, fine art and design.

The third exhibit in the series, Raising the Profile (April 2 to August 7, 2021), features quilts that reflect the Whitney exhibition’s influence on the U.S. DIY movement and quilt revival of the 1970s and beyond, and is curated by IQM Assistant Curator of Exhibitions Jonathan Gregory.

The fourth and final exhibition, Journey to Japan (February 26 to August 7, 2021), will focus on the influence the Holstein/van der Hoof quilts had on Japan. Curated by the IQM’s Marin Hanson and Saitama University professor Nao Nomura, this exhibit will display works commissioned from some of Japan’s premiere quilt artists and teachers. Each quilt has been made in the artist’s signature style in response to a quilt from the original Whitney group. “We wanted to include an exhibition about the Holstein/van der Hoof quilts traveling to Japan because it shows the worldwide influence of the Whitney exhibition,” said Hanson. “It’s also exciting because it’s our first time commissioning a body of work.” These works also illustrate the museum’s multi-year commitment to build a robust collection of Japanese quilts."

Meg Cox's Thoughts on the Exhibit: