Evelyn Anselevicius

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Evelyn Anselevicius
Born
Evelyn Jane Hill

1923 (1923)
Hobart, Oklahoma
DiedJuly 2, 2003(2003-07-02) (aged 79–80)
Plainview, Texas
EducationBlack Mountain College, Institute of Design
Known forWeaving, Textile design
MovementModernism, Good Design
SpouseGeorge Anselevicius

Evelyn Anselevicius (née Hill; 1923–2003) was an American textile artist best known for her large-scale, geometric woven tapestries, often created using Mexican techniques and traditions.[1]

Early life and education[edit]

Evelyn Anselevicius was born in Hobart, Oklahoma as Evelyn Jane Hill. She grew up in the Texas Panhandle.[2]

In 1947, she attended Black Mountain College in Western North Carolina, studying under former Bauhaus design professor Josef Albers.

Afterwards she attended the Institute of Design in Chicago, where she met her husband, the architect George Anselevicius, whom she married in May 1954.[3] Her training as a weaver also included an apprenticeship under Majel (Midge) Chance Obata.[4]

Career[edit]

Evelyn Anselevicius worked for Knoll Textiles in the 1950s.[5] A handweaving studio was set up there under Anselevicius' direction, broadening the scope of designs that Knoll could translate into machine-loomed fabrics.[4][6]

As an independent weaver, her work focused on large-scale, monumental tapestries with geometric designs and patterns, and bold use of color.[7] She often made use of wool spun and dyed in Mexico, Mexican rug techniques, and the inclusion of beaded objects.[8] For several years she worked out of a studio in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where she employed local weavers.[9] She later moved her studio to Albuquerque.[6]

There are no inhibiting factors regarding the use of pure color in fabric design. Color is used relatively, as it is in painting. Even radiant pinks and orange may be used if used in proportion to the surrounding space—and in relation to the surrounding colors. Colors often remind me of sounds—high and low, loud and soft.

— Evelyn Anselevicius, 1953, quoted in Design Since 1945[6]

Exhibitions and collections[edit]

Some of the designs Anselevicius produced for Knoll during the 1950s (as Evelyn Hill) were included in the 1952 exhibition Good Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.[10] Her independent work was included in the exhibition Wall Hangings at the Museum of Modern Art in 1969[11] and twice at the International Bienniale of Tapestry at Lausanne, Switzerland.[9] In 1971, Anselevicius' works were shown at the newly opened Ruth Kaufmann Gallery located in New York City.[12]

Her work is held in collections worldwide, including the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, the Museum of Arts and Design, the Museum of Modern Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Rodin Museum.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Evelyn Williams Anselevicius". Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. 2020-03-11. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  2. ^ "Tapestry maker dies at 79". Plainview Daily Herald. 2003-07-12. Archived from the original on 2023-08-10. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  3. ^ Logan, Paul (July 12, 2003). "Weaver Evelyn Anselevicius Left Powerful Tapestries Worldwide". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Evelyn Hill". www.knoll.com. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  5. ^ Lange, Alexandra (2011-04-27). "High Fiber". T Magazine. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  6. ^ a b c Dormer, Peter. Design since 1945. ISBN 0-500-20261-3. OCLC 27672565.
  7. ^ Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. "Evelyn Hill Anselevicius". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  8. ^ American Craft Council. "Tapestry". ACC Library & Archives Digital Collections.
  9. ^ a b "Tapestry Topics, Spring 2008" (PDF). American Tapestry Alliance.
  10. ^ "Evelyn Hill | MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  11. ^ "Wall Hangings". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  12. ^ Reif, Rita (1971-03-08). "Tapestries? Well, Not in the Classic Sense (Published 1971)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
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