Speaker 
 
Genny Cortinovis 
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Associate Curator of Decorative Arts and Design 
Saint Louis Art Museum 

In 1972, Austrian design duo and married couple Gretl and Leo Wollner developed their Three Meter Prints series, named for the sheer size of the screenprinted designs, produced only in three-meter lengths. Four textiles were made: Rivers, Roads, Sails, and Trails. Intended to be displayed from floor to ceiling, the striking fabrics featured nonrepeating patterns printed using oversized screens, which needed four people to successfully maneuver them.

Rivers exemplifies the impact of such a large pattern. Thick streams of color travel down a length of white velvet, bleeding into each other and defying the clear boundaries between the organic strips. Rivers was produced in five colorways, and in each example, dyes were mixed during the printing process to give the bold pattern a painterly, soft touch.

Gretl and Leo Wollner shared a strong design ethos—one that prioritized functionality, favored experimentation, and saw design as a form of fine art. Through the 1950s and ’60s, they quickly became recognized for their eccentric but sophisticated designs in fabrics and rugs. Their works were often produced by the Germany textile company Pausa AG, their trusted collaborator and Leo’s employer.

The Wollners were active across Europe and the United States: winning awards at the Milan Triennales, participating in craft exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and teaching in Germany. Three Meter Prints highlights the peak of their international reach. They had been tapped by Barbara Rodes, the head of design and development at Knoll Textiles, to produce the collection of ambitious designs. In accepting Rodes’s challenge, the Wollners became a connecting hinge between Knoll and Pausa AG, whose experienced printers produced all four fabrics.