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The Principal Wife

1984
(American, b. 1934)
America, 20th century
linen, rayon, acrylic yarns
Overall: 254 x 203.2 x 20.4 cm (100 x 80 x 8 1/16 in.)
Gift of Watson K. Blair 2011.32
Location: not on view
This artwork is known to be under copyright.

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Hicks has studied textile traditions in South America, Mexico, Morocco, and India throughout her six-decade career, and combines indigenous techniques with modernist ideals to create her hanging fiber works.

Description

The Principal Wife is part of a larger series by the pioneering fiber artist Sheila Hicks. To make these works Hicks wraps bundles of undyed linen thread with brightly dyed thread at random intervals to form dynamic hangings that cascade down the wall. Like an object found in nature, this sculpture combines both structure and spontaneity. The linen fibers are fastidiously wrapped in colored threads, while the organic draping of the fiber bundles is left to gravity.
The Principal Wife

The Principal Wife

1984

Sheila Hicks

(American, b. 1934)
America, 20th century

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