Erica Wilson (1928–2011) was arguably the most successful embroidery designer, teacher, and entrepreneur in America during the second half of the twentieth century. This superlative achievement was nurtured and encouraged by her husband, the renowned mid-century modern furniture designer Vladimir Kagan (1927—2016). Together, they created a highly successful business—all branded under the name Erica Wilson—that included books, kits, a television program, and retail shops. Erica’s embroidery designs, sometimes based on historical patterns and techniques, were well suited to the sensibilities of the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. Erica’s presence as the expert on all things needlework was larger-than-life. 

In 2015, the Kagan family donated to Winterthur Museum a selection of Erica’s work, including samplers Erica made during her training at the Royal School of Needlework in the 1940s and numerous examples from throughout her successful professional career. This generous gift not only allows the museum to interpret the influence that historic needlework and craft has had on artists and needlework into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries but also makes Erica’s work available as inspiration for those who are working with needle and thread today. 

This exhibition explores the life and work of Erica through a selection of objects from the Winterthur Museum collection and from Erica’s family.