Helena Hernmarck

Helena Hernmarck: A Catalogue Raisonné of Tapestries 1963–2025 will be the first publication to present all 260 of the artist’s handwoven tapestries.

Drawing from unpublished primary source material, this publication will serve as the definitive resource on Hernmarck’s tapestries. Essays undertaken by a team of leading scholars will discuss the artist’s biography, working methods, and the broader context of her work. Catalogue entries based on the artist’s meticulous career documentation will provide a comprehensive overview of her work.

Hernmarck’s ability to translate photographs into handwoven tapestries, along with her belief in the integration of textiles and modern architecture, has made her among the most recognized modern practitioners of this ancient art form. At a time when textiles are gaining greater recognition, a publication such as this is particularly relevant. There are few catalogues raisonnés covering female artists, and fewer still focused on textile artists. This catalogues raisonné, an essential contribution to art, craft, and architecture scholarship, creates a foundation upon which future projects can build.

Authors include Matilda McQuaid, Acting Director of Curatorial at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; Alexa Griffith Winton, Lead for Content, Programs, and Interpretation at Cooper Hewitt; Nicole LaBouff, Curator in the Department of Costume and Textiles at Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Susan Brown, Acting Head of Textiles at Cooper Hewitt; and art historian Mae Colburn, Archivist at Hernmarck’s studio. Curator David A. Hanks is Consulting Editor. 

Help us locate missing tapestries

As part of this project, we are documenting all of Hernmarck’s tapestries from 1963 to the present. If you own a Hernmarck tapestry and haven’t heard from us, or if you have information about any of the missing tapestries shown on this page, please contact us.

Support this project

Consider making a tax-deductible donation to support research, writing, editing, and new photography for this publication. Donations made to our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas, in support of the catalogue raisonné are tax-deductible. Visit our Fractured Atlas project page to learn more.

Contact
Mae Colburn, Archivist
catalogueraisonne@hernmarck.com
+1 (917) 589-4504