Jack Lenor Larsen: Creator and Collector

By David Revere McFadden and Mildred Constantine  Widely considered a master of twentieth-century textile design, world-renowned designer Jack Lenor Larsen has also collected the crafts of world cultures and related contemporary art for the last fifty years. The synergy between his design and his collecting is the subject of this book, which offers insights into Larson's artistic vision and the nature of creativity itself. Over forty of Larsen's most innovative textiles are juxtaposed with the treasures that helped to inspire them. Engagingly revealed is Larsen's eye for art by such well-known figures as Dale Chihuly, Dame Lucie Rie, and Wharton Esherick, among others, as well as anonymous but no less gifted artists from Japan, Korea, Colombia, Africa and India. Also discussed are Larsen's contributions to modern textile, interior and architectural design, and his often ground-breaking technical achievements. A narrative chronology, the most complete in print, concludes this profile of a celebrated creator, world-travelling collector, and friend to artists and artisans of all nations.