About Bernat Klein: Design in Colour
This exhibition explored the life and career of Bernat Klein, one of the 20th century’s leading forces in modernist design, in this free exhibition marking the centenary of his birth.
A Serbian-born textile designer, Klein settled in the Scottish Borders after the Second World War, setting up a textile business in Galashiels which would go on to supply his innovative fabrics to some of Europe’s top fashion houses.
Throughout his 40-year career, Klein worked across fashion and interiors, colour consultancy and industrial design. His design philosophy influenced fashion, fine art, interiors, architecture and colour theory, while his 1957 home, by renowned architect Peter Womersley, is one of the Scotland’s best examples of domestic modernist architecture.
Klein’s creative process and career was explored through objects such as paintings, textiles, garments and examples of product design and branding, and discover how his design ethos continues to inspire designers today.
Exhibition highlights
You might also like
- Discover
Developing new mannequins for our fashion displays
Our displays are evolving to reflect different bodies and to tell new stories. Find out more about our process and where we plan to go from here.Keep reading - Discover
100 years of the Little Black Dress
The ‘Little Black Dress’, or ‘LBD’, first captured the fashionable imagination in the 1920s. It was radically modern and masculine-inspired, and was free from the earlier constraints on women’s dress.In 2023 National Museums Scotland…Keep reading - Discover
Life and deathline of Mary, Queen of Scots
Crowned Queen of Scots at just nine months old; married, crowned Queen Consort of France and widowed all by the time she was 18 years old: Mary Stewart's life was nothing if not eventful. Let's dig into the facts about her tumultuous life…Keep reading