WATTS INDEXThe canonical database of visual culture

Artists›Lenore Tawney

Lenore Tawney

Artist

WA-00029714

DrawingContemporary

Representation

None documented

Institutional Exhibitions

Works in Collection

Assets Indexed

Authority-backed Facts

Publications Referenced

90%

Profile Completeness

Cultural Positioning

Influence Graph

No influence edges encoded yet.

Authority Records (3)

WikidataQ15499401 ULAN500025932

MoMA

Selected Institutional Exhibitions

View all exhibitions →

No image

Wall Hangings

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1969

Source Registry (1)

MoMA bulk 2026-05-04https://www.moma.org/artists/5814
Tier 1 · Institutional92%

About

Why this artist matters now

Lenore Tawney was an American weaver and sculptor who pioneered the use of linen and other fibers as primary sculptural materials rather than decorative textiles. Beginning in the 1950s, she created monumental woven forms that incorporated open spaces and three-dimensional structures, elevating fiber work to fine art status during the postwar period. Her practice moved between wall-based weavings and free-standing sculptural installations, often employing natural materials and industrial techniques. Tawney's innovations established fiber as a legitimate medium for contemporary art discourse.

Source: Moma Bulk 2026 05 04 · Trust score: 92% · Updated 28d ago

Graph relationships

Taste overlap and adjacency

Movement

Contemporary

Medium

Drawing

Related Artists

12 in graph

Institutional

Museum Collections

Museum of Modern ArtNew York Art Institute of Chicago

Canonical record

Artworks (43)

Portrait Collage Postcard

1997 · Pen and black ink and watercolor and feather collage

17.2 × 12.1 cm (6 3/4 × 4 3/4 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Envelope and Collage

1990 · Pen and black ink and collage

Envelope with contents: 10.2 × 19.4 × 0.6 cm (4 × 7 5/8 × 1/4 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

The Bride Has Entered

1982 · Cotton, plain weave; painted with pigment and gold leaf; attached linen threads in grid pattern

176.5 × 177.6 × 213.3 cm (69 1/2 × 69 7/8 × 84 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

WattsOS

Eskimo with Envelope

1981 · pen and black ink and pencil and collage

Overall: 23 x 29.9 cm (9 1/16 x 11 3/4 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

WattsOS

Cañon de Chelly

1980 · pen and black ink and watercolor and collage

Image: 8.9 x 14 cm (3 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.); Sheet: 8.9 x 14 cm (3 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

WattsOS

Leaves from My Book of Days with Envelope

1980 · pen and black ink and watercolor and collage; envelope: pen and black ink

Cleveland Museum of Art

WattsOS

Giraffe

1979 · pen and black and blue ink and collage

Image: 14.8 x 10.4 cm (5 13/16 x 4 1/8 in.); Sheet: 14.8 x 10.4 cm (5 13/16 x 4 1/8 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

WattsOS

The King of Beasts

1977 · pen and black ink and collage

Image: 16 x 10 cm (6 5/16 x 3 15/16 in.); Sheet: 16 x 10 cm (6 5/16 x 3 15/16 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Untitled (#34)

1977 · Wooden box, covered with manuscript pages; feathers

13.8 × 24.8 × 10.7 cm (5 1/2 × 9 3/4 × 4 1/4 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

WattsOS

Vintage Car (verso)

1976 · pen and black ink and pencil and watercolor and collage

Image: 14 x 8.9 cm (5 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.); Sheet: 14 x 8.9 cm (5 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Untitled (#32)

1976 · Cigar box, covered with manuscript pages; perforated and strung with linen threads; nutshells

18 × 26 × 14 cm (7 1/8 × 10 1/4 × 5 1/2 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Waters Above the Firmament

1976 · Linen, warp-faced weft-ribbed plain weave with discontinuous wefts; 18th/19th century manuscript pages cut into strips, attached, and painted with Liquitex acrylic paint; braided, knotted, and cut warp fringe

397.6 × 369 cm (156 1/2 × 145 1/4 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Gnamon 2.10.72

1972 · Ink with bone on paper

7 5/8 x 7 5/8" (19.4 x 19.4 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Card

1970 · Perforated paper; embroidered with linen in running stitches; cut to form surface pile; regularly placed holes with fringe

16.6 × 12.8 cm (6 1/2 × 5 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Fiber Construction

1970 · Gesso, paint, and ink on cotton, plain weave; knotted linen threads

47.7 × 20.3 cm (18 3/4 × 8 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Box with Bone and Stone

1970 · Box covered with manuscript pages (ink on paper); inside: rock on plexiglas cylinder; in lid: piece of bone

8.8 × 13.3 × 9.8 cm (3 1/2 × 5 1/4 × 3 7/8 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

WattsOS

Owl

1969 · pen and black ink and collage

Image: 15 x 11.2 cm (5 7/8 x 4 7/16 in.); Sheet: 15 x 11.2 cm (5 7/8 x 4 7/16 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Child's Shoe Last

1969 · Wood and metal covered with torn papers with ink

5.1 × 14.1 × 5.8 cm (2 × 5 1/2 × 2 1/4 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Form Infolded #117

1969 · Ink, sparrow feathers and watercolor paint on paper; mounted on linen, plain weave; over stretchers; plexiglas box

19 × 8.9 × 20.3 cm (7 1/2 × 3 1/2 × 8 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Little River

1968 · Linen

91 1/2 x 21" (232.4 x 53.3 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Shield

1967 · Linen, warp-faced weft-ribbed plain weave; embellished with sparrow feathers; wooden rods; braided warp fringe embellished with whelk egg cases and warp fringe knotted to silk

78.7 × 25.4 cm (31 × 10 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Connoissance

1967 · Pen and black ink, over collage of letterpress in black ink on tan wove papers, torn, and color lithographs on off-white wove paper, cut, and pasted onto tan laid paper book page with letterpress, laid down on two cream wove paper book pages with letterpress in black

17.1 × 20 cm (6 3/4 × 7 7/8 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Seed Circle

1967 · Ink on corks and seeds on book pages

7 1/4 x 9" (18.4 x 22.9 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

2 am 2-7-67

1967 · Ink, colored pencil, and pencil on printed book pages

8 1/2 x 10 3/4" (21.6 x 27.3 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

View all 43 artworks →

Artwork sources (4)

43 published of 48 catalogued · 38 with image

Art Institute Chicago
28 published28 img
Cleveland Museum of Art
7 published
MoMA
5 publishedof 10 catalogued10 img
The Met
3 published

Per-Artwork Provenance Chains (top 7)

7 entries · 1 sources

Cañon de Chelly
1980 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Giraffe
1979 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Owl
1969 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Leaves from My Book of Days with Envelope
1980 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Eskimo with Envelope
1981 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
The King of Beasts
1977 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Vintage Car (verso)
1976 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number

Record

Images

Artsy

Art Institute of Chicago

Relationships

Movements1

Contemporary

Collections2

Museum of Modern Art Art Institute of Chicago

Institutional

Representation & Collections

In collection

Museum of Modern Art

New York, US

In collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Record

Exhibitions and timeline

Group Exhibition Wall Hangings

New York · 1969