ART-PRESENTATION: Françoise Grossen – dreamideamachine ART VIEW

In the ‘60s, Françoise Grossen rejected the rectilinear loom that constrained contemporary weaving for an intuitive approach to fiber that resulted in the creation of large-scale, suspended rope forms constructed of knots, loops, braids, and twists. At the time, fiber was still associated with utility or ornament rather than fine art, and Grossen’s freehand, three-dimensional handling of the medium was considered a revolutionary gesture that upset the traditional hierarchy subordinating craft to art.

By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Blum & Poe Gallery Archive

In Françoise Grossen’s solo exhibition are on presentation three segments of her practice: hanging sculpture, floor works, and a series of maquettes that preceded her expansive installations of the ’70s. Represented in this selection are a variety of Grossen’s interests and influences as a young fiber sculptor, one who eventually became a leader of her field and more broadly helped define the archetypes of ‘60s and ’70s aesthetics. As with her hanging sculptures, which negate the convention of presenting fiber works two-dimensionally as tapestries, Grossen’s floor series draws the viewer’s focus from the wall, this time to the ground. With Grossen’s large-scale installations, we see the open floor plan at work, one of the staples of the period’s architecture, which Grossen studied in Lausanne, this concept challenged and inspired her to create the monumental works we are led to imagine here via their miniature predecessors. These maquettes are accompanied by vintage photography of their sprawling counterparts, the delicate nature of the models contrasted by the sheer magnitude of the works they preluded. “Mermaid I”, “Embryo” and several of the maquettes on view, were thought to be long lost, unearthed only recently from Grossen’s studio archives as she prepared for her 2016 solo exhibition at the Museum of Art and Design in New York. Finally, on view for the first time, Grossen presents the ultimate iterations of her suspended rope work series: “Alpha”, “Beta”, “Gamma (Signe II)”, and “Delta” (all 1991-93) that serve as the denouement to a thirty-year practice in fiber.

Info: Blum & Poe Gallery, 19 East. 66th Street, New York, Duration: 3/11/17-3/1/18, Days & Hours: Tue-Sat 10:00-18:00, www.blumandpoe.co

Françoise Grossen, Embryo, 1987, modified 2016 (Detail), Manila and cotton rope, synthetic wrapping material, 21 x 62 x 12 inches, Photo: Genevieve Hanson, Courtesy of the artist and Blum & Poe - Los Angeles/New York/Tokyo — Françoise Grossen, Embryo, 1987, modified 2016 (Detail), Manila and cotton rope, synthetic wrapping material, 21 x 62 x 12 inches, Photo: Genevieve Hanson, Courtesy of the artist and Blum & Poe – Los Angeles/New York/Tokyo

Françoise Grossen, Apodid, 1986, modified 2016 (detail), Manila, 60 x 17 x 14 inches, Photo: Genevieve Hanson, Courtesy of the artist and Blum & Poe - Los Angeles/New York/Tokyo — Françoise Grossen, Apodid, 1986, modified 2016 (detail), Manila, 60 x 17 x 14 inches, Photo: Genevieve Hanson, Courtesy of the artist and Blum & Poe – Los Angeles/New York/Tokyo

Françoise Grossen, Rudin Management, Fragment 560 Lexington Ave, NY, 1981, Manila rope and loose fiber partially dyed, 62 x 44 x 5 1/2 inches, Photo: Genevieve Hanson, Courtesy of the artist and Blum & Poe - Los Angeles/New York/Tokyo — Françoise Grossen, Rudin Management, Fragment 560 Lexington Ave, NY, 1981, Manila rope and loose fiber partially dyed, 62 x 44 x 5 1/2 inches, Photo: Genevieve Hanson, Courtesy of the artist and Blum & Poe – Los Angeles/New York/Tokyo

Françoise Grossen, Maquette with Heavy Braid, 1980, Linen, cotton, 26 x 7 1/2 x 2 inches, Photo: Genevieve Hanson, Courtesy of the artist and Blum & Poe - Los Angeles/New York/Tokyo — Françoise Grossen, Maquette with Heavy Braid, 1980, Linen, cotton, 26 x 7 1/2 x 2 inches, Photo: Genevieve Hanson, Courtesy of the artist and Blum & Poe – Los Angeles/New York/Tokyo

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