Of the artists working in tapastry today Helena
Hernmarck stands without peer. Her work, selected for scores of
fine public spaces is seen each year by millions of viewers. For
them, these pieces often become the focus and persona of familiar
places. that the work seems to belong in place is not by accident:
rather, it has grown there. The artist subordinated artistic intent
to the requirements of the space, of the client and space designer.
Almost always derived from a local environment, her themes encapsulate
the great outdoors in heroic scale. Her work has withstood the
test of time: that is, better than almost att the Art Fabrics
created in the last quarter century, hers have fared better in
aging gracefully. If at all. this body of work has the advantage
of traditional tapestry hangings - of shipping installing, storing
and cleaning easily. But they are not conventional tapestries
drawn by artists and executed by artisans. These are thoroughly
modern works with such expression of structure and materials to
compensate for spaces perhaps insufficient in these soul satistying
qualities. Above all, here is a master weaver in control of all
aspects of her work, from conception to in stallation and final
photography she triumphs over limitations to create art form that
goes beyond carft without losing its durable virtues. By : JACK
LENOR LARSEN
Helena Hernmarck
Selected permanent collections and exhibition venues:
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York; Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York
(solo exhibition); Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois; Minneapolis Institute of Art,
Minnesota; National Museum, Stockholm, Sweden; Renwick Gallery, National Museum of
American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; Museum of Arts and Design,
New York, New York; Musée des Arts Décoratifs de Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Cleveland
Museum of Art, Ohio; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia; Museum of Art,
Rhode Island School of Design, Providence; Detroit Institute of Art, Michigan. American
Craft Museum, New York, New York (Craft Today: Poetry of the Physical).
Recipient: Medal, American Institute of Architects Craftsmanship; Prins Eugen Medal for
Outstanding Achievement in Art, Sweden; Fellow: American Craft Council.
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