Modern textile art - Private Pleasures of Washingtonian collectors
24 Jul '07
3 min read
Private Pleasures: Collecting Contemporary Textile Art includes textile art from the mid-20th century to the present day and places the genre in the context of contemporary art history. Both wall works and sculpture are presented in the exhibition.
On view are textile artworks created by nationally and internationally acclaimed artists, including Olga de Amaral, Archie Brennan, Lia Cook, Michael James, John McQueen, Louise Nevelson, Robert Rauschenberg, Jon Eric Riis, Ed Rossbach, and Cynthia Schira, among others.
Featured in the exhibition are works by California-based artist Lia Cook, who embraces new technology in her pieces to develop imagery through the weave structure.
Georgia-based textile artist Jon Eric Riis, in comparison, uses traditional tapestry weave to investigate questions about contemporary ideas of art and beauty. Riis incorporates precious materials, such as metallic and silk thread, with freshwater pearls and crystal beads in his pieces to attract viewers to his work and engage them in his art conversation.
Colombian artist Olga de Amaral also uses metallic gold in her art but for different reasons. She combines gold with simple weave structures to reference two parts of her country's past – the Spanish Colonial architecture and the indigenous people's textile making skills. Her glimmering, eyecatching works reflect the light and her proud heritage.
While many artists use time-tested materials, exhibiting artist Ed Rossbach is known for his use of non-traditional materials. An artist ahead of his time, he used discarded plastic and newspapers to construct artworks long before recycling was fashionable.
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