20th Century Design Online

Description:

Five Angelo Testa (American, 1921-1984) Textiles, United States, c. 1945, "Jamaica," printed linen, 49 in. x approx. 10 yds.; "Strings," printed linen, 48 in. x 3 yds., "Scope" for Greeff, printed sheer fabric, 49 in. x 5 1/2 yds., "Line in Action," printed basketweave cotton, two joined, pleated, and backed curtain panels, ht. 45, wd. 96 in.; and "Variations," printed linen, approx. 48 in. x 15 yds.

Literature: "Narcissus" illustrated in a magazine advertisement for Cohama Upholstery & Drapery Fabrics, February 1947, (see Geoffrey Rayner, Artist-Designed Textiles, 1940-1976, 2012, p. 56, fig. 22).

Note: Angelo Testa was one of the foremost American textile designers of the mid-20th century. In 1945, he became the first graduate of the Institute of Design (formerly the New Bauhaus) in Chicago, where he studied under artist László Moholy-Nagy, architect George Fred Keck, and weaver Marli Ehrman. In 1947, he founded his own firm, Angelo Testa & Co., which remained active until his death in 1984.

A painter, sculptor, and weaver as well as a designer, Testa was familiar with the work of contemporary abstract artists. He introduced to textile design abstract and non-objective patterns using combinations of thick and thin lines, solid and outlined forms, positive and negative spaces, and clean pure colors. Designing patterns primarily for use within the architecture and interior design trade, his clients included many of the leading producers of mid-century modern furniture and fabrics, including Herman Miller, Knoll Associates, and Jens Risom. (Cooper Hewitt)
Estimate $600-800


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