Joan Miró. Rhythmic Figures or Woman and Birds (detail), 1934. Woven in Aubusson, France. © 2020 Successió Miró / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris
About the Exhibition
In 1930s Paris, leading modern artists experimented with tapestry design, thanks to pioneering entrepreneur Marie Cuttoli (1879–1973). Cuttoli lived between Algeria and Paris and collected work by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Georges Braque. This exhibition traces her career, from her early work in fashion and interiors to her revival of the French tapestry industry. She commissioned the most celebrated artists of her time—Rouault, Léger, Picasso, Braque, Le Corbusier, Man Ray, and Miró, among others—to create designs for the historic tapestry workshops in Aubusson. By uniting these important paintings and drawings with the resulting tapestry, this exhibition shows their true purpose, revealing modernism’s profound dialogue with the decorative arts.
When a selection of these tapestries toured the US in the 1930s and ’40s, Cuttoli enjoyed the support of Dr. Albert Barnes, who was one of her most vocal advocates and patrons. Fittingly, the Barnes Foundation is the first major American institution to celebrate her visionary approach to art and business.
On view in the Roberts Gallery.
Collector and entrepreneur Marie Cuttoli.
Man Ray. Marie Cuttoli, c. 1938. © Man Ray 2015 Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY / ADAGP, Paris
Exhibition Catalogue
Marie Cuttoli: The Modern Thread from Miró to Man Ray
Beautifully illustrated with rarely exhibited works by giants of European modernism, this catalogue traces Marie Cuttoli’s career, from her early work in fashion and interiors to her revival of the French tapestry industry. Edited by Cindy Kang, Associate Curator at the Barnes, Marie Cuttoli reveals the significant contributions of one visionary woman.
Exhibition Organization
This exhibition is organized by the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, and curated by Cindy Kang, Associate Curator at the Barnes.
Sponsors
Marie Cuttoli: The Modern Thread from Miró to Man Ray is sponsored by:
Additional grants are provided by:
Generous support comes from the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Exhibition Fund, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, and Aileen and Brian Roberts.
Critical support for all exhibitions comes from contributors to the Barnes Foundation Exhibition Fund:
Joan Carter and John Aglialoro, Julia and David Fleischner, Leigh and John Middleton, Jeanette and Joe Neubauer
John Alchin and Hal Marryatt, Christine and Michael Angelakis, Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz, Lois and Julian Brodsky, N. Judith Broudy, Laura and Bill Buck, Elaine W. Camarda and A. Morris Williams, Jr., Gloria and John Drosdick, Eugene and Michelle Dubay, Christine and George Henisee, Lisa D. Kabnick and John H. McFadden, Marguerite Lenfest, Maribeth and Steven Lerner, Victoria McNeil Le Vine, Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation, Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan, Kay and Michael Park, The Rittenhouse Hotel, Adele K. Schaeffer, Katie and Tony Schaeffer, Dr. and Mrs. Eugene E. Stark, Joan F. Thalheimer, van Beuren Charitable Foundation, Kirsten White, Anonymous.
With additional funding from other individual donors.
The exhibition catalogue is made possible with generous support provided by the Lois and Julian Brodsky Publications Fund.