Karen Walker Collaborates With Frances Hodgkins Artwork

FASHION

FROM ART TO SCARVES: KAREN WALKER X FRANCES HODGKINS

MAY 22, 2019

IMAGES

COURTESY of BRAND

WORDS

by ROBYN TURK

Art may imitate life, yet with the latest collection from Karen Walker, life imitates art. The womenswear and accessories designer partnered with the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki to pay homage to fellow New Zealander Frances Hodgkins. In time with the gallery’s new exhibition entitled Frances Hodgkins: European Journeys, Walker released a range of collectible clothing and accessories inspired by the early 20th century Modernist’s artwork.

With exclusive access to the gallery’s collection of Hodgkins’ work, Walker created Frances Hodgkins: Framed by Karen Walker. Each handbag, scarf, blouse and dress in the limited edition line is printed with images of Hodgkins’ artwork, including Bridesmaids (1930), Two Children (1930) and Red Jug (1931).

The ethereal, feminine collection uses contemporary womenswear to return attention to Hodgkins, who was a trailblazer in her time. From a young age, the artist traveled Europe and Northern Africa creating landscape, portrait and still life painting that referenced early Modernist hallmarks like abstraction and simplified forms.

When it comes to telling Hodgkins’ story through wearable art, Walker is the right designer for the job. In time with the launch of both the exhibition and the collection, the designer sat down with AS IF to reflect upon her collaboration with the artist's work.

Karen Walker visits Frances Hodgkins: European Journeys. Auckland Art Gallery.

“Frances is an icon and it was a real honor for me to work with her legacy. It was thrilling to be able to frame her vision, have my name next to hers and especially thrilling getting up close to her works in the conservation department of the gallery.”

–Karen Walker–

Can you tell me about your experience exploring Frances Hodgkins' archive of work?

Frances is an icon and it was a real honor for me to work with her legacy. It was thrilling to be able to frame her vision, have my name next to hers and especially thrilling getting up close to her works in the conservation department of the gallery. That’s not something you get to do every day of the week.

How does your new range of collectibles display that legacy?

They’re an homage to her really – a celebration of her work and her attitude. Also, she was peripatetic for much of her life and that obsession with travel is something I very much relate to. She also loved a good scarf, and a chunky necklace, and I love that about her too. But perhaps most importantly she was always looking forward, always modern, always questioning, unwavering in her commitment to her art, and that example is perhaps one of her greatest legacies.

How did you determine which works would inform your final collection?

There were a number of things for us to consider. We wanted the images to be from the gallery’s permanent collection. We wanted to include a few of her most iconic works and of course we had to consider how the works would look in our format and medium. We also questioned the colors in them as we needed to select from the colors in the works for the frames we added. Plus, we wanted to be able to tell mini stories – the three scarves are all her very famous works, the tops are both portraits of pairs of girls which we thought worked really well in that format with faces or eyes wrapping right around the body.

How do Hodgkins’ artistic and personal values speak to your modern shopper?

Our community’s been showing a lot of love towards the retrospective and the collab, which I think really reflects the love and passion that exists for her. She’s a feminist icon and a trailblazer, a woman of courage and conviction. What’s not to love?

Karen Walker visits Frances Hodgkins: European Journeys. Auckland Art Gallery.

SHOP FRANCES HODGKINS: FRAMED BY KAREN WALKER

Two Children Dress

This dress is designed to fall as a handkerchief and features a print of Two Children by Frances Hodgkins.

$290

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Red Jug Silk Scarf

Inspired by Frances Hodgkins' 1931 still life The Red Jug, this scarf is cut generously from silk twill.

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$110

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Bridesmaids Dress

A slip-on dress made from crepe de Chine, featuring a print of Bridesmaids by Frances Hodgkins.

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$525

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