Gail van der Hoof
(1943-2004)
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Collector, preservationist, expert fabric dater, exhibit organizer with Jonathan Holstein. Inducted in
1979 at the Continental Quilting Congress, Arlington, Virginia.
Research Associate: Ann Nash
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Gail van der Hoof’s art background led her to decorative arts and textiles, followed by an interest in
quilts. With Honoree Jonathan Holstein, she began collecting quilts, mainly pieced and Amish quilts.
Their pieced quilts were what Gail felt were the “every day” quilts made by unsung artist-creators. As
serious collectors, the two studied the patterns, the evolving design elements and the fabrics. Gail
lectured and wrote on the dating of fabrics and the techniques that aided in dating the quilt as a whole.
Their exhibition titled “Abstract Design in American Quilts” at the Whitney Museum of American Art in
1971 was a landmark event. New York City, the news capital of the United States, brought forth art
critics who looked anew at this decorative art form. The news traveled far outside the quilt community,
making this legendary exhibition a cornerstone of the “Renaissance of Quilting” that began in the mid
1960s.
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