Wall Power!

Beginning in the 1930s, artists, government officials, art dealers, and entrepreneurs sought ways to modernize the ancient tradition of tapestry-making in France to reassert its role as an independent art form available to contemporary artists. Several decades of intense production and experimentation followed that brought international attention to a renewed tradition of French tapestry, as well as new opportunities for the historic manufactories of Gobelins and Beauvais, now overseen by the Mobilier national of France, and the private tapestry workshops in and around Aubusson. ​

Drawn from the celebrated collection of the Mobilier national from the 1940s to present day, this exhibition explores tapestries by such artists as Joan Miró, Jean Lurçat, Henri Matisse, and Le Corbusier, who were central to the rapid resurgence of tapestry production; mid-century abstraction by artists including Sonia Delaunay and Victor Vasarely; and more recent productions including works by Gilles Aillaud and Kiki Smith. 

​Credit: Overview from museum website

Image:  Sonia Delaunay (French, 1885–1979)  Rythmes couleurs ou Panneau F 1898 (Color rhythms or Panel F 1898). Designed 1973, woven October 1, 1974–July 25, 197 at Manufacture de Beauvais, Dyer: Jean Dufour, Weavers: Pascale Côme (chef de pièce), Martin / cotton warp, wool weft / Mobilier national, BV-276  © Pracusa. Photo: Françoise Baussan