Olga de Amaral: To Weave a Rock July 25–September 19, 2021
Olga de Amaral, Brumas (Mists), 2013, acrylic, gesso, and cotton on wood, courtesy of the artist. © Olga de Amaral / Photograph © Diego Amaral
Olga de Amaral, Columna en pasteles (Column in Pastels), 1972, wool and horsehair, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum purchase funded by the Caroline Wiess Law Accessions Endowment Fund. © Olga de Amaral
Olga de Amaral, Tierra y oro 2 (Earth and Gold 2), 1986, horsehair, linen, and gold leaf, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Leatrice S. and Melvin B. Eagle Collection, gift of Leatrice and Melvin Eagle. © Olga de Amaral
Olga de Amaral, Bosque I y Bosque II (Forest I and Forest II), 1998, linen and acrylic, courtesy of the artist. © Olga de Amaral / Photograph © Diego Amaral
Olga de Amaral, Dos columnas moviles (Two Mobile Columns), 1985, wool and horsehair, courtesy of the artist. © Olga de Amaral / Photograph © Diego Amaral
Jim Amaral, Olga de Amaral at the Loom, c. 1960s, photograph. © Archive Olga de Amaral
Installation view of Olga de Amaral: To Weave a Rock
Installation view of Olga de Amaral: To Weave a Rock
Installation view of Olga de Amaral: To Weave a Rock
Olga de Amaral has pioneered her own visual language within the fiber arts movement. Her radical experimentation with color, form, material, composition, and space transforms weaving from a flat design element into an architectural component that defies the confines of any genre or medium.
The MFAH is the debut venue for Olga de Amaral: To Weave a Rock. This major touring retrospective spotlights the Colombian artist (born 1932) and her prolific, six-decade career through some 50 works that trace Amaral’s architectural investigations of the woven form.
Four thematic sections tell the story of Amaral’s creative spirit: “Radical Materialism,” “The Rebel Warp,” “Alchemy,” and “The Line.” Also included are two galleries devoted to her immersive Brumas (Mists) and Estelas (Steles) series.
► Exhibition Catalogue
The illustrated exhibition catalogue is available through the MFA Shop (713.639.7360) and the Museum’s Hirsch Library (713.639.7325).
Olga de Amaral: To Weave a Rock | July 25–September 19, 2021
• Included with general admission. Advance timed tickets recommended.
This exhibition is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Cranbrook Art Museum.
Major support is provided by:
Sara and Bill Morgan, in honor of Anna Walker
Additional generous funding is provided by:
Anne Lamkin Kinder
Lenore G. Tawney Foundation
Michael W. Dale
Leatrice and Melvin Eagle
Joan Morgenstern