Les Passoires, Alexander Calder, 1970, Edition 2/6. Handwoven wool tapestry by Pinton Frères, Aubusson, France, from the artist’s 1960 gouache painting. Passoires is the French word for strainer or colander, and at the bottom of the image, Calder has depicted a double-headed pierced spoon-like object, perhaps an abstracted tea strainer. Calder’s exploration of tapestry began in 1962 and continued throughout his career. The majority of his tapestries were made with Australian wool dyed to Calder’s specifications; each square yard of tapestry took a month to produce.





Modern Masters Tapestries Celebrates the Time-Honored Art of Weaving



by Benjamin Genocchio 

All images courtesy of Modern Masters Tapestries



Modern Masters Tapestries was launched in 2023 by Didier Marien, founder and CEO of Boccara Gallery, and an art tapestry expert with 30 years of experience in the art and design business. In his New York and Monaco galleries, 20th-century art tapestries are shown alongside contemporary artistic rug creations. The tapestries are not just licensed editions, but unique woven works of art by famous artists who have been drawn to the centuries-old medium including Sonia Delaunay, Georges Braque, Joan Miró, and Alexander Calder. Incollect spoke with Marien about the history and unique beauty of modern tapestries and woven works of art. 



Femme au Miroir, Joan Miró, woven in 2024 based on a design made 1946–56. Atelier Pinton, Aubusson, France, Edition 1/8.



Modern Masters Tapestries is an extension of Boccara Gallery, which you founded 35 years ago. Tell us why you launched this new brand and business.  

We launched Modern Masters Tapestries with intersecting missions: first, to offer only the most exceptional quality tapestries from preeminent 20th-century art masters such as Alexander Calder, Sonia Delaunay, Fernand Leger, Joan Miro, and Jean Lurçat. These artists are responsible for the revival of tapestry from its historical roots, and because of their fame, brought tapestry as a modern art form to the attention of a worldwide audience. I curate our offerings from these artists with an exacting eye - only the best works, in exceptionally fine condition and with impeccable provenance. Second, we are dedicated to discovering and bringing long-overdue recognition to lesser-known modern artists whose works in tapestry deserve to be seen and appreciated. Some of these artists who made tapestries are already famous for their work in painting and sculpture, such as Ossip Zadkine, a contemporary of Picasso and Braque. He worked in a Cubist/figurative style and his tapestries are very dramatic, very striking. Another such artist is Brassaï, a photographer who captured images of Parisian graffiti from the 1930s through the late 1950s. His stunning ‘Graffiti’ series tapestries depict this timeless iconography, bringing to mind Keith Haring and Basquiat. So with this, I am on a journey of discovery, finding out about these artists and evaluating their work in tapestry, determining whether the pieces stand on their own as refined works of art. The third part of our mission is very exciting because we are involved in the creative process. We are working with artists to create new, original works of art that will be produced one-off directly to woven art by Atelier 3. These pieces will be unique in every aspect, conceived as woven art and not translated from another medium. Atelier 3 is the perfect studio for this because they work in the realm of creative weaving, unlike the traditional tapestry atelier which follows a pattern to produce a copy of an artwork. This is very fulfilling because it draws on all of my areas of expertise: my years of collecting and working with historical tapestries as a foundation, my experience as a dealer of rare tapestries by the luminaries of modern art, evaluating quality and condition, training my eye to recognize subtle color variations, understanding the techniques and creative process of artistic weaving, and of course understanding the art market today. We are thrilled about our new direction. 




Left: Finistère, circa 1970, Sonia Delaunay. Aubusson handwoven wool tapestry by Atelier Pinton. Named for the coastal region in Brittany, France, Delaunay brought together geometric shapes and vibrant colors to create an abstract landscape that mirrored the region’s rugged beauty and captivating energy. Finistère serves as a testament to Sonia Delaunay’s ability to express the essence of a place with her mastery of abstraction, evident in the tapestry’s simplified forms and vibrant palette, which captures the rugged, wild beauty of the Finistère coast. Right: VP KEK, 1971, Victor Vasarely. Aubusson handwoven wool tapestry by Atelier Pinton. Vasarely was a pioneering artist who played a pivotal role in shaping the Op Art movement. This tapestry exemplifies his mastery of optical illusion, creating a sense of movement and depth and an illusion of three-dimensionality, with shapes seemingly popping out and receding. As one approaches the tapestry, the illusion dissolves, revealing the flat, two-dimensional reality of the geometric forms. This interplay of illusion and reality is a hallmark of Vasarely’s work.



Left: Bleu et Violet Sur Fond Noir, Ossip Zadkine, 5/6. Wool tapestry woven by Atelier Pinton, Felletin, France.  Right: Coeurs, Graffiti, Brassaï. Wool tapestry handwoven by Yvette Cauquil-Prince, France. 



Your expertise in modern tapestries is legendary. How did you get your start in the business?

I was born to it, in a way, because I was born near Aubusson, the historical birthplace of French tapestries. I have always felt a deep connection to this cultural art form. From a young age, I was immensely captivated by the intricate designs, and my interest continued to grow over time. Around the age of 25, I began collecting tapestries, eventually leading me to start my own tapestry business.



Surrounded by a rainbow of yarns is Deborah Zammit (left) European representative for Modern Masters Tapestries, with one of the artists at the Paris studio of Atelier3.



Which weaving ateliers produce the best tapestries and artistic rugs? 

There have been, and continue to be, many extraordinary tapestry producers in France and elsewhere, and it is difficult to pick one atelier that produces the ‘best’ work. It is also a matter of taste. I find the tapestries produced by Atelier 3, a contemporary tapestry company based in Paris, to be remarkably creative, blending traditional weaving techniques with an innovative use of materials. 



Above: Katsura en Automne, 1989, Bernard Cathelin. Handwoven wool tapestry by Atelier 3, Paris. Bernard Cathelin was a “School of Paris” artist known for his vivid palette and highly textured paintings created with thick palette knife applications. His work is particularly well suited to the weaving techniques of Atelier 3, which achieves a textured, dimensional effect with pulled knots and loops. Below: Detail images of the tapestry, Katsura en Automne, 1989, Bernard Cathelin.



Can you give us an example of what you mean by that?

Rather than adhering to homogenous, uniform knots, the weavers at Atelier 3 intentionally create textural depth by pulling certain knots loose, evoking the rich, tactile quality of impasto brushstrokes in oil painting. In contrast, the tapestries from Aubusson are decidedly classical and traditional in the way they are made, which is important and is respected because it represents the mastery of skills, techniques, and knowledge passed down through generations of artisans in those ateliers. Classical tapestries tend to be more uniform in texture, and thus appear more 2-dimensional.



Modern Master Tapestries founder Didier Marien (center) with Frederique Bachellerie, co-owner of Atelier 3; Deborah Zammit, European representative for Modern Masters Tapestries; Peter Schonwald, co-owner of Atelier 3 and an artisan at Atelier 3.



Can you explain what a bolduc is and why it’s important?    

Each tapestry has a bolduc, a sort of passport found on the back of a tapestry. It contains all the information identifying the artwork: the name of the workshop, name of the artist, size, composition, and date, and sometimes the inventory number and signature of the artist. The bolduc is critical to identify where the work came from, who made it, and who commissioned it. In our newly commissioned tapestries, we put the names of the artists and workshops into the actual woven tapestry as well.  




Bolducs for Alexander Calder’s Les Passoires tapestry and Bernard Cathelin’s Katsura – Harmonie noire et verte tapestry.



You mostly focus on modern tapestries and rugs from the 20th century. Why is this period important for woven art?  

The early-to-mid 20th century was a pivotal time for modern art, with the rise of famous artists like Chagall, Picasso, Braque, Delaunay, and Miró, who all began exploring textiles and tapestries as an artistic medium. France has always been a center of great tapestry production and it was natural for modern artists living and working there to explore the medium. This period was instrumental in elevating textiles to the status of fine art, particularly through the work of Jean Lurçat. We must continue developing and elevating the textile arts to the same level as more established fine art forms like painting or sculpture, especially the work of famous artists. 



Pélias at Nélée, Georges Braque, edition 6/8. Handwoven wool tapestry by Atelier du Moulin de Vaudoboyen, Biévres.



Tell us about some favorite pieces in your collection.

Selecting a single favorite piece is challenging because I love so many of them, but if pressed I would choose the tapestries of Bernard Cathelin produced at Atelier 3. While Cathelin may not have achieved the fame of his contemporaries Chagall and Picasso, his creations in the woven arts are nonetheless remarkable for their artistry. His stylized abstractions and vivid color palettes are enhanced by the special technique of Atelier 3 and together they result in works of extraordinary beauty and sensitivity.



The Sphere and the Spirals, from The Bicentennial Tapestries, Alexander Calder, 1975. Handwoven wool and silk tapestry by Atelier Pinton Felletin, Aubusson, France, 38/200. One of six designs created to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the American Revolution Bicentennial. There were to have been 200 sets of the six designs produced, but fewer than 40 were realized, making them rare to market.



How do the prices for woven artworks compare to traditional works of art?  

It depends on the artist. For a tapestry or a rug by Leger or Picasso, the price is usually fairly high. The price of these tapestries will likely continue to rise due to limited supply and high demand for the work of these artists. Over the past five years, we have seen prices increase by 20–30% annually, which is expected to continue. The rarity of these items means demand outpaces the inventory. For rugs and tapestries by contemporary artists, the prices are also quite high but that is because the cost of new production is very high. It costs around $50,000 today to produce a 9 x 6-foot tapestry and that does not include the cost of the artist and gallery commissions. 


 

What care is required for owning woven works of art? 

Preserving tapestries and rugs follows the same principles as maintaining traditional oil paintings: providing UV protection, cleaning every 10 years or so, and promptly repairing any small damage to prevent further unraveling. There is nothing especially difficult about owning and maintaining these works of art. 

 

 

You sell to collectors, museums, and interior decorators looking for unique works of art. Can you tell us about some of the more prestigious sales?

Our most prestigious sales have been to museums and foundations, most notably works by Alexander Calder and Sonia Delaunay. Our acclaimed woven artworks have found homes in national galleries and major museums across America, Europe, and as far away as Australia.



Do you sell through the gallery or the business today is mostly online and at the art fairs? 

We reach a wide audience online through Incollect and we exhibit at top art and design fairs including the upcoming Salon Art + Design, November 7–11. And, we invite anyone with an interest in these woven wonders to visit our galleries for in-person viewing. All of these combine to present our pieces to designers, architects, and collectors, many of whom are new to the world of fine art tapestries and rugs. We welcome the opportunity to share our knowledge and love for these works and enthusiastically encourage your questions.  

  


Visit us at Salon Art+Design, November 7–11, Booth C3

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