MoMA has opened "Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction," a touring survey that examines the role of textiles in modern and contemporary art. The exhibition features works by artists such as Sonia Delaunay, Paul Klee, Agnes Martin, Jeffrey Gibson, and Anni Albers, and incorporates other mediums like video and photography. Curator Lynne Cooke notes that the show has evolved at each venue, and at MoMA it holds special significance because the museum was foundational in writing the history of Modernism and collected textiles from its early days.
The exhibition matters because it reflects a surge of interest in textiles across the art world, from biennials to galleries, and challenges traditional hierarchies between fine art and craft. Cooke began developing the show over five years ago, noticing a contemporary turn toward textile practices that prompted a rethinking of Modernism and abstraction. The show also resonates with a digital-age craving for materiality and hand-making, and has drawn acclaim for bringing new breadth to abstraction through woven forms.