Threads of Power
Bard Graduate Center Gallery, New York, USA
16.09.2022 – 01.01.2023
An exhibition cooperation with the Bard Graduate Center NY in the USA.
Around 150 objects from the extensive top-of-the-range collection of the Textile Museum St. Gallen are being presented in the USA for the first time. The Bard Graduate Center in New York, in cooperation with the Textile Museum, shows the development of European lace from its beginnings in the 16th century to the present day.
On display are some of the world's finest examples of handmade needle and bobbin lace worn by the rich and powerful at the courts of Spain and France. The Lace: Threads of Power exhibition, which runs through the end of the year at the Bard Graduate Center Gallery, will take a look at hand embroidery made by women, the development of etching embroidery, known as guipure lace, as well as on those of the embroidery machines. Current innovations in lace production such as laser cut or 3D printed lace used in contemporary haute couture will also be explained. A highlight are the costumes on display, for example by Michelle Obama, who wore a dress made of St.Gallen lace at her husband's first inauguration.
The exhibition was curated by Emma Cormack, Bard Graduate Center; Ilona Kos, curator, Textile Museum St. Gallen; Michele Majer, Bard Graduate Center.
More information: Threads of Power - Bard Graduate Center | THREADS OF POWER (textilmuseum.ch)
Bobbin-lace border with trim, Venice, first quarter of the 17th century. Linen. Textilmuseum St. Gallen, John Jacoby, 01010. Photo: Michael Rast.
Chantilly bobbin-lace shawl, France or Flanders, ca. 1860. Silk. Textilmuseum St. Gallen, John Jacoby collection, 00480. Photo: Michael Rast.
Lace pillow with bobbins, Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, 1897. Cotton, paper, metal, wood. Textilmuseum St. Gallen, 40017. Photo: Michael Rast.
Jakob Schlaepfer AG, manufacturer. Hypertube lace collar, St. Gallen, ca. 2021. Silicone. Private collection. Photo: Michael Rast.
Point de France needle-lace frelange with lappets, Orne, France, ca. 1695. Linen. Textilmuseum St. Gallen, Acquisition from the John Jacoby collection, 1954, 01246. Photo: Michael Rast.
Robert Heinrich Graf, manufacturer. Dress with chemical lace and embroidery, Appenzell, Switzerland, 1900-10. Cotton. Textilmuseum St. Gallen, 48438.