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Clothes made the man … or did they? |
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Sunday, 21 January 2007 |
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You could fill the Grand Canyon with what we don’t know about social and sartorial engineering. (Other things too, but that’s another day.) We certainly did not know that from 1927-1933 the nascent Soviet Union harnessed textile design as a weapon in the 
Textile design, Sergei Burylin, 1876–1942
Possibly made for: Ivanovo-Voznesensk Factory
SOVIET, 1920–1930
*Lent by Lloyd Cotsen
*Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts. It has an exhibit up through Jan. 21 titled “Designing the Modern Utopia: Soviet Textiles from the Lloyd Cotsen Collection.’’ This was the idea: A small group of artists believed that by weaving Communist ideals and symbols (tractors, factories, hammer and sickle) into clothing and household fabrics they could assist workers and peasants in forwarding the revolution. Now, how hip would this stuff be to wear now? Way cool. But don’t even think about it. “Cotsen is the former CEO of Neutrogena and an avid collector,’’ “People think of Communist art as very dour and this opens your eyes a bit,” says the MFA’s Mary Keith. “You see kids playing ball, big electrical towers – the new way of life. The clothing was provided for the people. But the experiment stopped because it didn’t really work. It’s very educational, to get a look into that period of time in the Soviet Union.’’ Cotsen, the former CEO of Neutrogena is an avid collector, and donated the 90 or so pieces, which are framed and hung on walls in the Loring Gallery.’’ Hours: 10 a.m.-4:45 p.m. (9:45 Wed.-Fri.) Admission: $15 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, 617-267-9300 |
