Skip to main content

Artist Profile – Annie Albers, Renaissance Woman

South of the Border (cotton & wool), 1958
Annie Albers, 1899-1994, was a true Renaissance Woman. Born in Berlin Germany at the end of the 19th century, Albers was one of the most influential textile artists of all time. As a trained artist, Albers did not see textiles as second to painting and sculpture. Rather, she embraced textiles as a fine art form that should be seen side by side with all such artworks.
Photo Source: http://albersfoundation.org/teaching/anni-albers/introduction/#slide12

 Annie Albers was born Annelise Fleischman and married the painter Joseph Albers in 1925. They both were heavily involved in the modern art movement in Germany and joined the famous Bauhaus in the 1920s. In 1933 the Nazis forced the Bauhaus to close and Annie and Joseph moved to America. They both taught at the influential Black Mountain College and became US citizens in 1939. While at Black Mountain Albers taught weaving with a focus on mass production and began experimenting with new materials.

Annie Albers became the first textile artist to present a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1949. Afterwards she and Joseph moved to New Haven, Connecticut to teach at Yale University. She continued to work in textiles but also began experimenting with printmaking as well. Albers was very interested in methods of production and the creation of modern design that is intended to be available to the masses. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anni-Albers)

Study in Red Stripes (gouache on blueprint paper), 1969

Untitled Wall Hanging (wool), 1984
Red Meander (screen print), 1970-71

Knot (gouache on paper), 1947
Necklace, 1940

 Today we should thank Annie Albers for her contributions to art and to her strong belief in making art and design for the good of the public at large. She believed that everyone deserved beautiful design to make their life and home both functional and pleasant. Companies such as IKEA have embraced this philosophy and we now can enjoy her influence every single day.

Photo Source: http://albersfoundation.org/teaching/anni-albers/on-weaving/

BUY IT! If you are absolutely in love with Annie Albers textiles, Knoll has one of her most iconic designs for sale by the yard. It's not inexpensive but it is positively gorgeous.

Eclat Weave in Tangerine available at Knoll