Kaffe Fassett and Candace Bahouth at the Victoria Art Gallery

World-renowned artist, textile designer and author Kaffe Fassett will return to Victoria Art Gallery this summer, with his long-time friend and fellow exhibitor Candace Bahouth. Kaffe Fassett: Timeless Themes – New Quilts and Candace Bahouth: Enchanted Visions will run from 1 July to 1 October 2023.

Regular visitors to the gallery will remember their stunning joint exhibitions Blue and White in 2008 and A Celebration of Flowers in 2018, which both broke attendance records at the time.

This immersive new exhibition will showcase 23 of Kaffe Fassett’s large and colourful new quilts, adorned with much-loved motifs from his print archives, including stripes, circles, dots, flowers and foliage. The show ties in with his forthcoming book, Kaffe Fassett’s Timeless Themes.Displayed alongside this,

Candace Bahouth’s work will include a range of extravagantly embellished mirrors filling the back wall of the gallery, along with fanciful candelabras adorned with birds and romantic figures, with works for sale.

The gallery will be repainted in a bespoke range of bright colours chosen by the artists, providing a perfect setting for the striking pieces on display.

Kaffe Fassett said: "I hope that this exhibition demonstrates the great inspiration I have had from British culture since I settled here in the UK in 1964. It’s a pleasure to be exhibiting in Bath again and I hope that this exhibition will inspire visitors to create their own personal flights of fantasy."

Candice Bahouth said: “For me, this exhibition is about drama and enchantment. Celebrating the joy of the simple moments in life, a bird, a leaf, a flower, a piece of china, discarded and yet still beautiful. For me, all infused with love. Hopefully this show will excite the viewer’s imagination, for play, colour, objects, ideas and dreams.”

Councillor Paul Roper, Cabinet Member for Economic & Cultural Sustainable Development, said: “We are delighted to welcome Kaffe Fassett and Candace Bahouth back to the Victoria Art Gallery for what is sure to be a popular exhibition. Local residents can enjoy this vibrant show for free with a Discovery Card.”

To complement the exhibition, there will be a talk by Kaffe Fassett at the Guildhall, Bath on Sunday 3 September at 2pm, followed by a book signing. Tickets cost £18 and will be available from www.victoriagal.org.uk.

Kaffe Fassett will also give two guided tours of the exhibition, on Saturday 1 July at 12-1pm and 2-3pm. Tickets cost £15 including exhibition entry, and £8 for Discovery Card holders. There are only 20 places available on each tour, and tickets are expected to sell out quickly. Book ahead now at www.victoriagal.org.uk.

The Victoria Art Gallery shop will stock a wide range of products linked to the exhibition, including Kaffe Fassett’s Timeless Themes book (which features the new quilts on display in the show), fabric bundles from his studio, tapestry kits featuring his designs, and Candace Bahouth’s needlepoint kits.