About the Exhibition

The process of creating a tapestry is painstaking, involving artists, dyers, and weavers who collaborate to translate an artist’s design to a hand-woven wall hanging. Tapestry has a rich history spanning ages and cultures, but among the most enduring traditions is that of France, where tapestry production has a history extending back many centuries. Beginning in the Middle Ages, tapestries played an important role in the interior decoration of European churches, palaces, and public spaces, and those made in France were renowned for their quality, beauty, and grandeur.

Tapestry is not just an art of the past. In the mid-twentieth century, tapestry once again came into prominence in exhibitions and building decorations, and artists continue to make designs for tapestry today. One of the world’s great collections of twentieth and twenty-first century tapestries belongs to the Mobilier national of France, which has generously lent thirty-two examples to this exhibition. Dating from the 1940s to the present, this sampling provides an overview of the trends in French tapestry production over much of the last century and fills the gallery walls with warmth and vibrancy during the dark and cold months of winter.

Wall Power! Modern French Tapestry from the Mobilier national, Paris is organized by the Clark Art Institute and curated by Kathleen Morris, Sylvia and Leonard Marx Director of Collections and Exhibitions and curator of decorative arts.

Generous support for this exhibition is provided by George W. Ahl III, the Coby Foundation, and Robert D. Kraus. The exhibition catalogue is made possible by Denise Littlefield Sobel.