Bass Museum of Art Shows ' Tapestries of 20th Century Modernists '

Thursday, 17 August 2006 09:38

Miami Beach, FL – In the 1950s, Pablo Picasso asked Jean Lurçat why he wove his pictures in wool.  Lurçat, the leading revivalist of tapestry among his contemporaries, replied “One fiber of my wool is a thousand times more precious than a piece of your paper.”  That playful challenge inspired Picasso, and other artists who chose to transform their own compositions into monumental wall hangings.

TAPESTRIES: THE GREAT TWENTIETH CENTURY MODERNISTS features vibrant and joyful works by Picasso, Matisse, Calder, Kandinsky, the bold figural architectonics of Léger and Le Corbusier, the cutouts of Matisse, and the cubism of Picasso.  This collection of approximately twenty hand-made works offers a fresh perspective on 20^th century modernism and its intriguing relationship to the time honored tradition of weaving.

The Bass Museum of Art was established by agreement in 1963 when the City of Miami Beach accepted the gift of the art collection of John and Johanna Bass upon condition that it would maintain the collection in perpetuity, provide for the exhibition of the collections, and keep it open and available to the public.   The museum occupies what was originally the Miami Beach Public Library and Art Center, which was designed in 1930 by Russell Pancoast, grandson of Miami Beach pioneer John A. Collins.  This was Miami’s first public building with an exhibition space for the fine arts, and it was designed to preserve the symmetry of the formal gardens of Collins Park, which had been donated to the City by Collins and laid out in the 1920s.  This building is now the centerpiece of the city’s historic district and was placed on the National Register in 1978.

The exhibition is on view through October 8, 2006. Organized by the Trust for Museum Exhibitions, Washington D.C.

Visit the Bass Museum of Art at : www.bassmuseum.org/