The Khalili Collection of Swedish Textiles | |
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Curators | Nasser D. Khalili (founder) Dror Elkvity (curator and chief co-ordinator) Viveka Hansen (special advisor)[1] |
Size (no. of items) | 100[2] |
Website | www |
The Khalili Collection of Swedish Textiles is a private collection of textile art assembled by the British scholar, collector and philanthropist Nasser D. Khalili.[2] The collection was built up over a period of 25 years and contains 100 works.[2][3] It is one of eight collections assembled, conserved, published and exhibited by Khalili, each of which is considered among the most important in its field.[4] In 2008 it was described as "the only extensive collection of Swedish flatweaves outside the country".[5] The collection consists mostly of textile panels, cushion and bed covers from the Scania region of southern Sweden, dating in the main from a hundred-year period between the mid-18th and mid-19th centuries. The majority of the pieces in the collection were made for wedding ceremonies in the region. While they played a part in the ceremonies, they were also a reflection of the artistry and skill of the weaver. Their designs often consist of symbolic illustrations of fertility and long life.[2] Khalili writes that he created the collection because of the tendency of art historians and the public to undervalue art whose creators are anonymous.[6]