Sheila Hicks & Lenore Tawney
in ‘Weaving Abstraction in Ancient and Modern Art’, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
5 March – 16 June 2024
Opening March 2024, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, will present ‘Weaving Abstraction in Ancient and Modern Art’, a group exhibition featuring works by Sheila Hicks, Olga de Amaral, Lenore Tawney and Anni Albers alongside pieces by Andean artists from the first millennium BCE to the 16th century.
Featuring more than 50 works, including major loans and new acquisitions, this cross-historical exhibition offers new insights into the emergence of abstract imagery. The constructive nature of weavings, arising from the grid formed by the vertical and horizontal elements of the loom, prompted the formal investigation of geometric designs that emphasise the integral relationship between structure and design in the textiles. Each of the four modern artists featured, including Tawney, developed innovative approaches to an ancient medium through deep study of Andean techniques. Shown together, these ancient and modern weavings reposition the place of textiles in global art history.