“Wells invites the reader to see tapestry as an integral, even defining part of postwar art and brings new attention to a fascinating but often overlooked art form.”—Lorraine Karafel, Journal of Design History

“Deeply archival and amply illustrated, the book brings to light a wealth of tapestry projects, many of them little known . . . Most important, though, the study offers a powerful new approach to well-worn debates about the relationship of art and decoration.”—Emily Warner, West 86th: A Journal of Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture

“Weaving Modernism makes a significant contribution to American modern art scholarship and builds on a growing body of writing meant to expand and nuance narratives of modernity and postmodernity. . . . An ambitiously argued and thoroughly researched volume”—Erica Warren, caa.reviews

[An] excellent text [. . .] and a range of images that amplify the author's points and are in many cases not often illustrated elsewhere —Mary Shoeser, Selvedge

“[A]n insightful and well-researched addition to the literature on Modernist tapestry production...No longer a backdrop to the more prominent debates on Modernist painting, such studies are beginning to bring the medium of tapestry to the fore.”—Ann Coxon, The Burlington Magazine

Winner of the 2020 SECAC Award for Excellence in Scholarly Research and Publication

“In her excellent and well-researched analysis of postwar tapestry, Wells challenges our understandings of both modernism and the decorative arts, contributing a new and much needed picture of modernism’s complex relationship with textiles.”—Elissa Auther, Museum of Arts and Design and the Bard Graduate Center

“Weaving Modernism is a masterful, broad-ranging study on the history of modern tapestry, making clear its importance to the overall history of modern art through fascinating archival research.”—Bibiana Obler, author of Intimate Collaborations: Kandinsky and Münter, Arp and Taeuber



“Wells invites the reader to see tapestry as an integral, even defining part of postwar art and brings new attention to a fascinating but often overlooked art form.”—Lorraine Karafel, Journal of Design History

“Deeply archival and amply illustrated, the book brings to light a wealth of tapestry projects, many of them little known . . . Most important, though, the study offers a powerful new approach to well-worn debates about the relationship of art and decoration.”—Emily Warner, West 86th: A Journal of Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture

“Weaving Modernism makes a significant contribution to American modern art scholarship and builds on a growing body of writing meant to expand and nuance narratives of modernity and postmodernity. . . . An ambitiously argued and thoroughly researched volume”—Erica Warren, caa.reviews

[An] excellent text [. . .] and a range of images that amplify the author's points and are in many cases not often illustrated elsewhere —Mary Shoeser, Selvedge

“[A]n insightful and well-researched addition to the literature on Modernist tapestry production...No longer a backdrop to the more prominent debates on Modernist painting, such studies are beginning to bring the medium of tapestry to the fore.”—Ann Coxon, The Burlington Magazine

Winner of the 2020 SECAC Award for Excellence in Scholarly Research and Publication

“In her excellent and well-researched analysis of postwar tapestry, Wells challenges our understandings of both modernism and the decorative arts, contributing a new and much needed picture of modernism’s complex relationship with textiles.”—Elissa Auther, Museum of Arts and Design and the Bard Graduate Center

“Weaving Modernism is a masterful, broad-ranging study on the history of modern tapestry, making clear its importance to the overall history of modern art through fascinating archival research.”—Bibiana Obler, author of Intimate Collaborations: Kandinsky and Münter, Arp and Taeuber

K. L. H. Wells is assistant professor of art history at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.