The collection
Textile with alternating horizontal stripes of dark brown and shades of pink with an overlying pattern of shapes like parts of paperclips.
1942

Textile, Sportsmen’s Blues

Designed by
Angelo Testa (1921–1984)
Material
Printed cotton
Produced by
Angelo Testa and Company, Chicago, Illinois
Dimensions
190 x 129.5 cm

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Liliane and David M. Stewart Collection, gift of Geoffrey N. Bradfield*, D84.148.1

Testa created this abstract textile while studying at the Chicago Institute of Design, founded by former Bauhaus master László Moholy-Nagy as the “New Bauhaus.” A goal of the curriculum was freedom to experiment with technique and form.

Testa, who was influenced by Moholy-Nagy, was part of the first graduating class of the school. In this design, abstract lines and curves float above a ground of light and dark horizontal bands. In 1947, Testa established his own textile firm, and its productions became widely known in North America through his participation in  Good Design exhibitions.

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, photo: Giles Rivest.