Bernat Klein’s last work (on his easel) in 2014, Gordon Burniston, 2016
In 2016 the idea of creating the Bernat Klein Foundation was welcomed and supported by the Klein Family. Ten years on, the Foundation continues to share the Klein legacy and vision that remains relevant, accessible and inspirational - in Scotland and internationally.
The Klein Studio project is a milestone for Bernat Klein Foundation. Our collaboration with National Trust Scotland and Scottish Historic Buildings Trust will restore this iconic and significant building as a design studio by 2030 - and as intended by Klein and Womersley in 1972.
The Bernat Klein Foundation was launched in 2018 to develop and manage the legacy of Bernat Klein, through education, research, publication and exhibition.
It has become a catalyst in creative thinking and new ideas, leading Scotland-wide events such as exhibitions, talks and workshops that inspire, inform, and connect contemporary practice in the visual arts, design and architecture. As a digital resource, the foundation’s website creates an innovative resource that promotes creative practice and research, focused on Klein’s legacy and forward-looking approach.
The foundation has been generously supported in its development by funding from the William Grant Foundation, Creative Scotland and Heritage Lottery Funding; and with specialist expertise and knowledge of its Board of Trustees and Patron. Partnership with National Museums Scotland, Live Borders, Heriot-Watt University, all of whom hold complementary Klein archive collections, also support the evolving development and sharing of Klein’s legacy.
About
Bernat Klein’s vision about design, colour and creative practice continues to inspire.
In a career spanning six decades, Klein found international success in the interrelated spheres of fine art, fashion, textile design, architecture, industrial design, and colour consultancy.
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Bernat Klein at High Sunderland, Moira Leggat, 1960s. Image courtesy of National Museums Scotland
Workshops
A programme of workshops has been developed for the foundation by creative practitioners in woven, printed and knitted textiles.
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Explore
The foundation has created an innovative portfolio of projects and new digital content.
This includes short films, photography, journal articles, and interviews, all of which can be explored on the website that provides open access for all. The foundation continually explores new ways of presenting original Bernat Klein work, alongside showcasing contemporary ideas inspired by his legacy in design, visual arts and architecture.
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‘Lichen’ 3’, Bernat Klein, 1966; oil on canvas, Image courtesy of National Museums Scotland
Bernat Klein Book
A 224-page fully illustrated book celebrating the life and work of Bernat Klein (1922–2014), published by the Bernat Klein Foundation to accompany the centenary exhibition Bernat Klein: Design in Colour at the National Museums Scotland.
This book sets out to reach audiences with a broad interest in postwar design as well as those with an academic or specialist practitioner’s eye. The international range of authors who have been invited to contribute embraces curators, archivists, architects, photographers, artists and collectors. Together they demonstrate their engagement with Bernat Klein’s design concepts and methods of working, as well as his many collaborations as a textile designer and manufacturer.
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Journal
The journal explores insights to Bernat Klein’s work and life in the Scottish Borders and the legacy he has created.
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