Fashion has always looked to art for inspiration, in texture, colour and form. An exclusive collaboration between Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and lifestyle brand Wallace Cotton now brings this connection to life, reimagining work by one of New Zealand’s pioneering modern artists.
Among the Gallery’s collection of more than 18,000 artworks is Reading (1921), a painting by Dunedin-born artist Maud Sherwood (1880 – 1956). The oil on canvas captures a quiet moment of a woman immersed in a book, her face in shadow, draped in a boldly pattered Japanese kimono in green, cream and pops of orange. It was this detail that inspired Wallace Cotton’s in-house design team to create a limited-edition capsule sleepwear range.
“From the moment we saw Sherwood’s Reading, we were struck by the striking detail of the kimono,” says Julia Gardner, Marketing Manager at Wallace Cotton. “Our talented in-house designers translated these elements into a hand-painted textile design, layering brushstrokes to capture the richness of Sherwood’s palette, using deep moody tones with touches of cream and orange”.
The collaboration felt natural with both the Gallery and Wallace Cotton sharing a commitment to celebrating creativity and storytelling through design.
The Maud Sherwood Sleepwear Range features two pieces, an elegant full-length robe and matching nightie, crated in luxuriously soft modal fabric. Every detail from the drape of the fabric to the kimono inspired sleeve, was carefully refined to echo Sherwood’s painting while ensuring comfort.
“Sherwood’s Reading was the heart of every decision in this collection,” says Emma Pritchard, Retail Operations Manager at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. “The silhouette, palette and fabric were all considered in relation to the painting. We’re delighted that the range reflects the spirit of Sherwood’s work, while creating something contemporary that people can enjoy every day.”
Born in Dunedin in 1880, Maud Sherwood (née Kimbell) studied in Wellington under Mabel Hill, Mary Tripe and James Nairn, absorbing their Impressionist approach to painting, before embarking on an international career that took her to Europe and Australia. Her potent use of colour established her as one of the leading women painters of her generation. Most recently, her work was celebrated in the Gallery’s exhibition, Modern Women: Flight of Time, which highlighted the significant contributions of women artists to the development of modern art in Aotearoa New Zealand.
“Maud Sherwood was a trailblazer. Her work pushed boundaries at a time when women led the way in modern art,” says Julia Waite, Curator New Zealand Art at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. “Reading is an intimate scene showing a quiet moment brought to life through Sherwood’s powerful understand of colour. The collaboration not only pays tribute to her legacy in New Zealand art but harnesses the strength of Sherwood’s work, reinterpreting the vision of a modern woman for contemporary customers today.”
Maud Sherwood’s great-great niece, Lucy Kimbell, says the family is honoured to see her work reimagined in this way. “I grew up surrounded by some of Maud’s beautiful paintings at home, and feel very fortunate that her work was part of our everyday lives. She was fiercely dedicated to her art, and there is a lovely symmetry in this collaboration. Maud was inspired by the world around her, the people, the scenes, and now her art has gone on to inspire more creations in turn. To see her painting reinterpreted in this ways shows how her vision continues to spark creativity a century later.”
The limited-edition collection launches exclusively to the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki Shop on Friday 24 October.
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