Situated on the right bank of the Seine on the Avenue New York virtually opposite the Eiffel Tower, The Mona Bismarck American Centre will host an exhibition of quilts starting in a couple of days' time. Mixing cloths and traditions from the Old World, local production and natural imagery unique to the United States, quilt making evolved into a distinctively American tradition with its own style and iconography. Types of quilts developed to reflect the new country, patterns that never existed before: Star of Bethlehem, Rose of Sharon, Album quilts, and more. Quilt art will feature twenty-five such quilts from the distinguished collections of the American Museum in Britain, an exceptional occasion to celebrate the depth and diversity of the American tradition. Mona Bismarck (née Strader, 1897-1983) was first married in 1926 to Harrison Williams, reputed to be among the very wealthiest men in America, Mona swiftly became known as one of the most glamorous and beautiful women in New York. Several years after the death of Harrison Williams in 1953, Mona married her longtime friend, Count Edward von Bismarck, the grandson of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Mona’s quintessential style was celebrated in a song by Cole Porter, while her physical beauty and elegance captivated painters such as Salvador Dalí, Leonor Fini, Bernard Boutet de Monvel as well as photographers Cecil Beaton, Edward Steichen and H. P. Horst. Her social circle included statesmen and politicians such as American Presidents Roosevelt and Eisenhower; royalty – the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and Princess Grace of Monaco; and an impressive number of writers and artists, including Greta Garbo, Cristòbal Balienciaga, Hubert de Givenchy, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Paul Newman and Enrich Maria Remarque. What a lady! Click here for more details of the exhibition.
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