Mythes et Heros Grecs Tisses

THE EXHIBITION

The N. P. Goulandris Foundation – Museum of Cycladic Art presented this exhibit on Woven Greek Myths and Heroes in collaboration with the Musee des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris. 

The art of the tapestry consists of weaving large textile panels used as wall decor. The technique of their creation is different from that of simple fabrics and carpets. The oldest preserved examples date from the eleventh and twelfth centuries from Germany, Scandinavia, and Spain. The period from the fourteenth to the eighteenth saw major development in this technique. Flanders continued to play an important role in the sixteenth century. Brussels remained the uncontested leader dues to the workshops and models of Rubens. However, from the year 1660, France took its place as the top with factories of Abusson, Beauvais, and Gobelins which were primarily led by the painter Charles le Brun, the favourite painter of King Louis XIV.

By the eighteenth century, most interiors were less suitable for the display of tapestries, though beautiful tapestries were still woven in France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Spain. In the nineteenth century tapestries merely reproduced historical paintings. In the twentieth century the art of the tapestry found new life or artists rediscovered their interest and gave it new models. These artists included Picasso, Braque, Miro, and especially Lurcat.

The Museum of Cycladic Art would like to thank the Musee des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris and the Institut Francais D’Athenes. We would also like to thank our sponsor, Citroen.