Brafa: Textile Pioneers

Richard Saltoun Gallery presents a group stand of some of the most renowned Post-war female textile artists: Magdalena Abakanowicz (Poland 1930-2017), Olga de Amaral (Colombia, 1932 -), Jagoda Buić (Croatia, 1930-2022), Ewa Pachucka (Poland, 1936-2020), Greta Schödl (Austria/Italy, 1929 -) and Barbara Levittoux-Świderska (Poland, 1933-2019). Each of the featured artists is widely recognised for their contributions to elevating the tapestry tradition from a specifically feminine, decorative, and low art form to a fine art context in the Post-war period. Notably, Abakanowicz, Buić, Pachucka and de Amaral were all included in MoMA’s pivotal 1969 exhibition Wall Hangings, the first museum exhibition to contextualise textile works within the realm of visual art.

Abakanowicz, Pachucka and Levittoux-Świderska were the most prominent members of the Polish Textile School, a generation of artists in the 1960s and 70s who incorporated locally sourced materials in their practice while also responding to repressive ideology of their country’s then-communist regime. De Amaral was one of the few artists from South America to receive international acclaim for her monumental textile works during the same period, for which she also draws on techniques, materials and influences from her local heritage. Schödl was born in Hollabrunn, Austria, and relocated to Bologna in the late 1950s, a time when female artists were scarce in Italy. She stopped making art for seven years to raise a family, before devoting herself once again to developing a highly Conceptual practice in poesia visiva (or visual poetry). Her works range from postcard-size to over 3 meters long, merging geometric forms, vibrant colors and gold leaf interlaced with repeated words to the point of abstraction. Her works also often incorporated textiles and household materials, challenging societal norms linked to domesticity and femininity. 

All artists have received significant institutional recognition in recent years, notably Jagoda Buić’s current display at Tate Modern and recent solo show at Maxxi, Rome (2017), Magdalena Abakanowicz’s major exhibition at Tate Modern, London last year (2022/23), and Greta Schödl’s inclusion in the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale Venezia (2024).

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