Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction
A new major exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) opens up an undiscovered chapter of art history: Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction. The exhibition explores the inseparable histories of modern abstraction and 20th-century textiles, specifically the changing relationship between abstract art, fashion, design and craft over the last 70 years. Woven Histories officially opens Thursday, November 7 at 5:00 p.m. EDT as part of our Free Thursday Nights presented by BMO and runs until March 2, 2025. Buy your ticket online for the exhibition and receive a $3 discount on your admission.
Some 130 works – including painting, photography, clothing, textiles, drawing, basketry and sculpture – by more than 45 creators spanning generations and continents are put into dialogue. Anni Albers, Ruth Asawa, Jeffrey Gibson, Yayoi Kusama, Agnes Martin and Rosemarie Trockel are among the artists whose works are on display in the show. Women artists are particularly well represented in the exhibition, as are artists working outside established arts centres.
Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction is organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, in collaboration with the National Gallery of Canada, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Ottawa presentation is the third and only Canadian stop on a North American tour that began at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (September 17, 2023 - January 21, 2024) and The National Gallery of Art, Washington (March 17 – July 28, 2024). The tour will conclude at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, from April 20 to September 13, 2025.
The works on display come from the collections of several international museums, public and private collections, including the Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Museum of Modern Art, N.Y.; the Centre Pompidou, Paris; and the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C., among others.
“In the 20th century, textiles have often been considered lesser—as applied art, women’s work, or domestic craft. This unique exhibition brings to the Canadian public important works that could otherwise only be seen in galleries and museums abroad, thanks to our fruitful partnership with the American museums,” said Jean-François Bélisle, Director & CEO, National Gallery of Canada.
Curated by Lynne Cooke, Senior Curator in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Woven Histories explores how recurrent aesthetic, socio-political and economic forces, in particular concerns about labour and environmental degradation, have influenced textiles art. Among other subjects, it focuses on questions of self-fashioning and life wear as modes of constructing identity, kinship and community.
Some of the artists seek to bring about social change, while others address political issues. Others engage with textiles as subject, material and technique, revitalizing the formal conventions of abstraction or critiquing its patriarchal history and gendered identity. Open weave wall hangings from the post-war decades explore formal relations between line and thread. For textile makers, as for contemporary abstract painters, the grid and computer chip were foundational structural forms that generated innovative design. The exhibition also addresses basketry as a pre-loom textile art.
Exhibition catalogue
Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction is accompanied by a publication co-published by the National Gallery of Art and University of Chicago Press. The 292-page book features essays by art historians Elissa Auther, Lynne Cooke, Darby English, Briony Fer, Michelle Kuo, and Bibiana K. Obler, contributing new scholarship to this complex, layered subject, as well as reflections from peers, contributing to the exhibition narratives. Available at the Gallery’s Boutique and online at ShopNGC.ca.
Public programming
A rich program of experiential activities within the exhibition, including tactile panels, craft stations, a felt wall and a reflection space, complements the exhibition. Public events include a talk with the curator, curatorial tours, weaving tours and workshops. To find out more about the public programming in conjunction with Woven Histories, visit the exhibition page at gallery.ca.
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About the National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada (NGC) is dedicated to amplifying voices through art and extending the reach and breadth of its collection, exhibitions program, and public activities to represent all Canadians, while centring Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Ankosé—an Anishinaabemowin word that means “everything is connected”—reflects the Gallery’s mission to create dynamic experiences that open hearts and minds, and allow for new ways of seeing ourselves, one another, and our diverse histories, through the visual arts. The NGC is home to a rich contemporary art collection, including Indigenous, Canadian, and international art, as well as important collections of historical and European art from the 14th to the 21st century. Founded in 1880, the NGC has played a key role in Canadian culture for more than 140 years. For more information, visit gallery.ca.
About the National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art welcomes all people to explore art, creativity, and our shared humanity. Nearly four million people come through its doors each year—with millions more online—making it one of the most visited art museums in the world. The National Gallery's renowned collection includes nearly 160,000 works of art, from the ancient world to today. For more information, visit nga.gov.