Guided Tour: Line & Thread: Prints and Textiles from the 1600s to the Present

This exhibition explores the critical juncture of prints and textiles through historic and contemporary works.  It is the first to showcase works by contemporary visual artists that operate at the cross-section of prints and textiles, and includes a selection of historical works that similarly highlight the marriage between the two mediums.

“Prints share a long and complicated history with textiles. But for too long, this relationship has been overlooked and underappreciated. Line & Thread finally focuses our attention on prints and textiles through a dazzling array of artworks that stretch from the 1600s to the present day,” Madeleine Viljoen, Curator of Prints and the Spencer Collection at the New York Public Library said. “From prints on fabric, ‘dressed’ prints, prints created for the textile industry, and prints that resemble textiles, the exhibition illuminates the ongoing engagement between the two mediums. We can’t wait for visitors to the Library to explore this deep-seated interrelationship and marvel at the diverse works on display.”

Line & Thread is on view in the Library’s Rayner Wing from September 7, 2024– January 12, 2025. It features over 50 works that are drawn predominantly from prints held in the Library’s Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints, and Photographs.