The Fiber of Her Life

"Sheila Hicks: 50 Years," the first major retrospective of the Nebraska-born, Yale University-educated, Paris-based artist, traces that professional trajectory via 90 pieces on display.

Annie Block, Mark McMenamin, and Meghan Edwards -- Interior Design, 2/1/2011 10:31:00 AM

She's accomplished in several disciplines, but her renown is undeniably interwoven with textiles. "Sheila Hicks: 50 Years," the first major retrospective of the Nebraska-born, Yale University-educated, Paris-based artist, traces that professional trajectory via 90 pieces on display. Among them are a Knoll fabric for Eero Saarinen's Tulip chair, an 8-foot-high linen-cotton sculpture, and a mélange of linen and cork usually found cascading 20 feet from the ceiling at Target Corporation headquarters in Minneapolis. Independent curator Joan Simon organized the exhibition with the Addison Gallery of American Art in Andover, Massachusetts, also the first location on a three-venue tour. Next comes Philadelphia's Institute of Contemporary Art, where the opening is March 24. New at the ICA stop are a member's-only walk-through with the artist and a lecture series called Weaving as Metaphor.