Herbert Bayer (1900-1985, Austria) 

Jason Tapestry
1961
Fiber/Wool; ht. 46, wd. 48 in.


One is more likely to think of Bayer's iconic 1932 self portrait in a mirror than textiles when his name is mentioned. But Bayer, a Bauhaus graduate, accepted no boundaries. His career was driven by an idea — total integration of the arts. He worked in design, advertising, typeface design, architecture, public sculpture and painting. In 1938 he moved to the United States. Bayer used collage and photomontage, elements from his fine art background, in his early advertisements. He became chairman of Container Corporation's Department of Design in 1956. Hugo Anderson, who presented the Bayer estate, writes that "He was more than just an art director, contributing in management decisions, including the design of buildings and interiors.? The Great Ideas of Western Man was a Herbert Bayer advertising campaign of the 1950s and 60s. These ads had no sales message, again working on the concept that a good corporate image was also good for business." Bayer designed several tapestries, but this example is the most austerely modern of the genre. The work was loomed in Hong Kong.

Reference: Chanzit, Gwyn. From Bauhaus to Aspen: Herbert Bayer and Modernist Design in America. Boulder Co.: Johnson Books, 2005. 

Acquired from a Private Collector

Excellent original condition.