{"id":2076,"date":"2025-03-30T19:40:08","date_gmt":"2025-03-30T19:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.txtilezine.com\/?p=2076"},"modified":"2025-03-30T20:00:14","modified_gmt":"2025-03-30T20:00:14","slug":"intrinsic-beauty-celebrating-the-art-of-textiles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.txtilezine.com\/en\/intrinsic-beauty-celebrating-the-art-of-textiles\/","title":{"rendered":"INTRINSIC BEAUTY: CELEBRATING THE ART OF TEXTILES"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Exquisite artworks created worldwide over the last two thousand years will be on view in “Intrinsic Beauty: Celebrating the Art of Textiles” <\/strong>at The George Washington University Museum<\/strong> and The Textile Museum<\/strong>, February 22 through June 14, 2025<\/strong>, as The Textile Museum \u2014 a leader in the study and appreciation of textiles\u2014begins celebrations for its centennial year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Each of 60 spectacular works in this exhibition selected from our collections of more than 25,000 textiles exemplifies the ‘intrinsic beauty of design, color, and technique’ so prized by The Textile Museum’s founder George Hewitt Myers,”<\/em> said John Wetenhall, director, The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum<\/em>. “They set the stage\u00a0for our next century as we expand our commitment to\u00a0preserving artistic heritage, promoting sustainable textile practices, fostering cultural exchange and cultivating the next generation of textile enthusiasts, scholars and museum professionals.”\u00a0
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The exhibition\u2014a collaboration among museum curators Sumru Belger Krody, Lee Talbot and Shelley Burian\u2014includes textiles rarely exhibited due to their size or fragility, such as the enormous Safavid carpet measuring approximately twenty-eight by eleven feet that may have decorated a Persian shrine. Other treasures include a fourth-century textile hanging from Egypt with an extraordinary three-dimensional design of a jeweled entryway into a garden; robes embroidered with metallic-wrapped threads for Daoist priests, considered some of the most visually splendid works of Chinese textile art; and a colorful tie-dye alpaca hair tunic (ca. 800-1000) from Peru’s Wari culture woven to be taken apart and put together like a jigsaw puzzle.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The juxtaposition of textiles from different regions and time periods creates conversations that shed light on cross-cultural connections and the preeminent roles textiles have played in the social, political, religious, commercial and artistic life of many communities. The museum offers visitors a guide to explore four different pathways through the exhibition and discover intriguing stories of cultural and artistic exchange that led to innovative textile design:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foundations of a Collection<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Museum founder George Hewitt Myers (1875-1957) established The Textile Museum and its library in 1925 with a collection of some 350 rugs and other textiles, originally housed in two historic buildings in Washington, D.C.’s Kalorama neighborhood. By collecting multiple examples of textile or rug types, Myers created opportunities for comparative study in an emerging field of textile studies. Some groups that Myers emphasized\u2014including Mamluk carpets,10th\u201312th century\u00a0tiraz\u00a0fragments, dragon carpets from the Caucasus, and early archaeological textiles from Peru\u2014are represented in “Intrinsic Beauty.”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Virtuosity in Textile Art<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the textiles displayed in the “Intrinsic Beauty” exhibition are evidence of masterful artistry, and several seen here are among the best examples of their kind. They include a Buddhist priest\u2019s mantle;\u00a0a section of a\u00a0Turkish\u00a0embroidered cover from the Ottoman\u00a0empire;\u00a0and a\u00a0delicate pi\u00f1a blouse from 19th-century\u00a0Philippines.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artists Perspectives<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To broaden interpretive perspective, the museum invited living artists to reflect on the quality and craftsmanship they see revealed in works as varied as a chief’s tunic or cape from the Democratic Republic of Congo or Angola, possibly 19th century; and a 14th-15th century curtain fragment that once hung in the Alhambra Palace in Spain. Visitors will find artists’ commentary in labels beside selected artworks.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An Interwoven World\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When cultures collide, evidence of artistic exchange can be seen in the textile arts, such as a hanging showing the \u201cPelican in Her Piety\u201d from 17th-century Spanish Colonial Peru and a 16th-17th century ecclesiastical garment with fabrics from T\u00fcrkiye’s Ottoman empire and Iran’s Safavid empire.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Centennial Collections Book – “Textile Treasures”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In honor of The Textile Museum\u2019s centennial, the museum is releasing \u201cTextile Treasures,\u201d the first major publication to bring together global masterworks from The Textile Museum Collection, including artworks on display in “Intrinsic Beauty.” Produced in collaboration with Hali Publications, it features stunning photography along with research from curators Sumru Belger Krody, Lee Talbot and Shelley Burian, as well as contributors Carol M. Bier, Walter B. Denny, Barbara G. and David W. Fraser, Mariachiara Gasparini,\u00a0Mattibelle\u00a0Gittinger, Louise W. Mackie, Ann Pollard Rowe and Rebecca A. T. Stevens.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Visiting Information<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The George Washington University Museum<\/strong> and The Textile Museum<\/strong> is located on GW\u2019s Foggy Bottom campus at 701 21st Street, NW, in Washington, D.C.,<\/strong> just blocks from the Smithsonian\u202fRenwick Gallery, White House, Kennedy Center\u202fand the National Mall. Galleries are open to the public\u202fTuesday through Saturday,\u202f10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed on university holidays. Admission to the museum is free.\u202fFor the most up-to-date information on the museum’s visiting hours, exhibitions and educational programs, please check the museum website.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Exquisite artworks created worldwide over the last two thousand years will be on view in “Intrinsic Beauty: Celebrating the Art of Textiles” at The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, February 22 through June 14, 2025, as The Textile Museum \u2014 a leader in the study and appreciation of textiles\u2014begins celebrations for its centennial year.  “Each of 60 spectacular works in this exhibition selected from our collections of more than 25,000 textiles exemplifies the ‘intrinsic beauty of design, color, and technique’ so prized by The Textile Museum’s founder George Hewitt Myers,” said John Wetenhall, director, The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum. “They set the stage\u00a0for our next century as we expand our commitment to\u00a0preserving artistic heritage, promoting sustainable textile practices, fostering cultural exchange and cultivating the next generation of textile enthusiasts, scholars and museum professionals.”\u00a0The exhibition\u2014a collaboration among museum curators Sumru Belger Krody, Lee Talbot and Shelley Burian\u2014includes textiles rarely exhibited due to their size or fragility, such as the enormous Safavid carpet measuring approximately twenty-eight by eleven feet that may have decorated a Persian shrine. Other treasures include a fourth-century textile hanging from Egypt with an extraordinary three-dimensional design of a jeweled entryway into a garden; robes embroidered with metallic-wrapped threads for Daoist priests, considered some of the most visually splendid works of Chinese textile art; and a colorful tie-dye alpaca hair tunic (ca. 800-1000) from Peru’s Wari culture woven to be taken apart and put together like a jigsaw puzzle.\u00a0 The juxtaposition of textiles from different regions and time periods creates conversations that shed light on cross-cultural connections and the preeminent roles textiles have played in the social, political, religious, commercial and artistic life of many communities. The museum offers visitors a guide to explore four different pathways through the exhibition and discover intriguing stories of cultural and artistic exchange that led to innovative textile design:\u00a0 Foundations of a Collection Museum founder George Hewitt Myers (1875-1957) established The Textile Museum and its library in 1925 with a collection of some 350 rugs and other textiles, originally housed in two historic buildings in Washington, D.C.’s Kalorama neighborhood. By collecting multiple examples of textile or rug types, Myers created opportunities for comparative study in an emerging field of textile studies. Some groups that Myers emphasized\u2014including Mamluk carpets,10th\u201312th century\u00a0tiraz\u00a0fragments, dragon carpets from the Caucasus, and early archaeological textiles from Peru\u2014are represented in “Intrinsic Beauty.”\u00a0 Virtuosity in Textile Art All the textiles displayed in the “Intrinsic Beauty” exhibition are evidence of masterful artistry, and several seen here are among the best examples of their kind. They include a Buddhist priest\u2019s mantle;\u00a0a section of a\u00a0Turkish\u00a0embroidered cover from the Ottoman\u00a0empire;\u00a0and a\u00a0delicate pi\u00f1a blouse from 19th-century\u00a0Philippines.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Artists Perspectives To broaden interpretive perspective, the museum invited living artists to reflect on the quality and craftsmanship they see revealed in works as varied as a chief’s tunic or cape from the Democratic Republic of Congo or Angola, possibly 19th century; and a 14th-15th century curtain fragment that once hung in the Alhambra Palace in Spain. Visitors will find artists’ commentary in labels beside selected artworks.\u00a0 An Interwoven World\u00a0 When cultures collide, evidence of artistic exchange can be seen in the textile arts, such as a hanging showing the \u201cPelican in Her Piety\u201d from 17th-century Spanish Colonial Peru and a 16th-17th century ecclesiastical garment with fabrics from T\u00fcrkiye’s Ottoman empire and Iran’s Safavid empire.\u00a0\u00a0 Centennial Collections Book – “Textile Treasures” In honor of The Textile Museum\u2019s centennial, the museum is releasing \u201cTextile Treasures,\u201d the first major publication to bring together global masterworks from The Textile Museum Collection, including artworks on display in “Intrinsic Beauty.” Produced in collaboration with Hali Publications, it features stunning photography along with research from curators Sumru Belger Krody, Lee Talbot and Shelley Burian, as well as contributors Carol M. Bier, Walter B. Denny, Barbara G. and David W. Fraser, Mariachiara Gasparini,\u00a0Mattibelle\u00a0Gittinger, Louise W. Mackie, Ann Pollard Rowe and Rebecca A. T. Stevens.\u00a0\u00a0 Visiting Information The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum is located on GW\u2019s Foggy Bottom campus at 701 21st Street, NW, in Washington, D.C., just blocks from the Smithsonian\u202fRenwick Gallery, White House, Kennedy Center\u202fand the National Mall. Galleries are open to the public\u202fTuesday through Saturday,\u202f10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed on university holidays. Admission to the museum is free.\u202fFor the most up-to-date information on the museum’s visiting hours, exhibitions and educational programs, please check the museum website.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":2060,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exhibitions"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t