If there were any justice in this world, those hearing the name Albers would ask “which one?” rather than assume a reference to Josef, the painter, color theorist and influential teacher. The other Albers — Anni (1899-1994) — hasn’t occupied as much of the art historical limelight, for the maddeningly usual reasons: She was a woman, and she worked in a medium historically associated with craft and utility more than art.
When Albers enrolled at the Bauhaus in 1922, where she met future husband Josef, she was steered away from painting, toward weaving. She proceeded to reinvent and vitalize the field through her own work, writing and teaching, all of which embodied vigorous experimentation and respect for ancient tradition. In 1949 she was the first weaver to have a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art.
“Material Meaning: A Living Legacy of Anni Albers” at the Craft in America Center in L.A. pays homage to her spirit and methods. The show features textile work by 10 contemporary artists (not incidentally, all women), each piece annotated with a few words about its relationship to something Albers practiced or taught. Personal statements by each artist further reflect on Albers as inspiration and implicit mentor. The show, guest-curated by Cameron Taylor-Brown, is steeped in reverence and spiked with formal ingenuity...
Leah Ollman
