April 2007
Amish Quilts
Away from the distractions of modern American society, the lives of the Amish are plain, quiet, and conservative. Their quilts, however, are anything but: With abstract shapes and aggressive colors, they embody an explosive aesthetic similar to that of modern artists like Frank Stella or Barnett Newman. Fans of those painters rediscovered the quilts as art during the 1960s. One, Maria Schlumberger, has spent the last few decades amassing a collection of these creations. From March 30 to June 17, the Neue Sammlung at the Pinakothek der Moderne will display a selection of the pieces in “Diamonds and Bars: The Art of the Amish.”
