This monumental abstract fiber art sculpture was created in the mid-1960s by renowned Detroit artist, Jane Knight. She is best known for her elaborate large-scale wall textile installations. This particular work was a part of her private collection and was never exhibited for sale. The piece is comprised of literal miles of jute strands hand twined in multicolored wool fibers creating impressive arching loops of various diameter at the top which appear as branches and flowing raw strands of jute at the base which resemble roots. The piece is suitably titled "The Tree" and was designed to free-stand in a room where it can be appreciated form every angle. It is an absolutely captivating masterpiece.
The diameter of the centre 'column' is about 20"
Jane Knight (1928-2013) was born in Grosse Pointe and received her BFA from the University of Michigan in 1951. After graduation, she worked as the Art Director for the Detroit based luxury department store JL Hudsons and designed for the Cranbrook Theater School. Due to her husband's employment at Eero Saarinen and Associates she was embraced by a Community of cutting-edge designers and architects at the epicenter of the modernism movement and was personal friends of Eero Saarinen, Charles and Ray Eames, Alexander Girard and George Nelson to name a few.
Jane was an avid traveller who always viewed the world magically with her creative eye. As an art collector herself, she highly regarded the work of Alexander Calder and Henri Matisse. Throughout her career, she created numerous freestanding, wall-mounted and suspended fiber art sculptures for countless interior environments. Her artwork has been featured in books on fiber design, exhibited in galleries in San Francisco, Chicago and New York and is included in several corporate collections including Borge Warner and Chrysler.