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Grey Scale I by Polly Appelbaum, marker on silk/rayon velvet, 60 x 37 inches, 2015 |
Ned and I went to the National Gallery of Canada to view Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction when we were in Ottawa last February.
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Grey Scale detail, marker on silk/rayon velvet, by Polly Appelbaum, USA |
This is the important exhibition that you have probably read about online. It debuted in Los Angeles at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in September 2023, and then travelled first to the National Gallery in Washington DC in the spring of 2024, and then to Canada in late 2024 until the end of February 2025. The exhibition is scheduled to open at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York in April. (April 20 - September 13 2025. )
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Syaw (Fishnet) by Regina Pilawuk Wilson, acrylic paint on canvas, 48 x 79 inches, 2011 |
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Fishnet (detail) by paint on canvas by Regina Pilawuk Wilson, Australia |
The exhibition was amazing and beautifully installed in our spacious national gallery. I took photos of several pieces that were new for me.
I was familiar with Regina Pilawuk Wilson as I have the catalogue for the Marking the Infinite exhibition. I appreciated that this painting is as large as one of my quilts. (48 x 79 inches)
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Pink Weave, by Harmony Hammond, USA oil and cold wax medium on canvas, 24 X 24 inches, 1974 |
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Grey Grid, by Harmony Hammond, USA oil and cold wax medium on canvas, 20.5 x 20.5 inches, 1974 |
New for me: Harmony Hammond's carefully made art pieces that resemble weavings and (see first two images) Polly Appelbaum's audacious idea to use permanent marker on sensuous silk rayon velvet.
(I still can't get over this).
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Untitled #8 by Agnes Martin, india ink, graphite and gesso on canvas, 72 x 72 inches, 1977 |
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Untitled #8 by Agnes Martin, A Canadian who worked in the USA for most of her career. |
It's rare to see an Agnes Martin piece in real life.
I love that her pencil drawing is so much larger than the Harmony Hammond cold wax pieces. That's one of the main reasons I like to go to art galleries. The scale and the texture of the work can only be understood when you stand face to face with it.
(By the way, the above artwork is not included in the beautiful catalogue, although two other Agnes Martin pieces are. This makes me wonder if each installation of the exhibition is slightly different.)
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Floor Pieces II, III, and VI by Harmony Hammond, acrylic on fabric, dimensions variable, 1973 |
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Floorpiece by Harmony Hammond, paint on linen that has been braided USA |
I looked carefully at these floor pieces to see what had been painted and what had not been painted.
In this post, I am showing some of the artists who created work that highlights the idea of domestic textile methods, (woven cloth, braided rug, pieced quilt) with fine art techniques (painting, drawing).
I plan to write another post about this exhibition. If you are near New York City this summer, I hope that you will visit the MOMA and walk through this beautiful exhibition.