Wall Hanging Tapestries for a Modern Setting
I grew up seeing the the 18th century Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, given to the museum by the Rockefellers. So, when I visited the Rockefeller estate, Kykuit, in upstate New York, a number of years ago and saw a modern Picasso wall hanging tapestry that depicted Guernica, it was an eye opener. Ever since, I have wanted a wall hanging for my living room or over my bed. I’m not a Rockefeller so a Picasso bull is out of the question but I was thrilled to find these charming and affordable wall hanging tapestries. The camels on one of them are my version of Picasso’s bull. |  |
| The Guernica wall hanging tapestry I saw at Kykuit was commissioned by Picasso and woven in France by the weavers, René and Jacqueline de la Baume Dürrbach. Originally the weavers used a poster of the painting as a model but when Guernica was exhibited at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, they got the chance to examine it more carefully. They went to the Louvre many mornings before it opened to work on the drawing. It has the same dimensions as the painting and Picasso made corrections on it before the wall hanging tapestry was woven. Actually Picasso purchased 3 of the tapestries. Nelson Rockefeller saw one and bought it on the spot. Alfred Barr the head of MoMA was initially not impressed that a wall hanging tapestry had been made of the great painting, which hung at MoMA before it was eventually returned to Spain, but when he saw it, he changed his mind. |  |
| It is interesting that the Rockefeller family gave the Unicorn wall hanging tapestries to The Metropolitan Museum. The Guernica was given to the United Nations. We have them to thank for so much. Bring a little Rockefeller style to your own living room with our hanging wall tapestries.
|
|
