Marie Cuttoli: Comeback queen of Textiles
/If you have been following along for a while, you may remember my find of a lifetime; the rug I am pictured with above. I have a speculation as to how it arrived at the small auction house I snagged it from. I believe it went unsold from a art collector/socialite/wealthy individuals estate and ended up improperly stored in the back of a warehouse or similar. The moths found it and began to ingest the beautiful wool fibers and do their thing, munching that awesome creation. The design, known as ‘Blanc’, was commissioned by Marie Cuttoli from her friend, Fernand Leger, the cubist artist. Cuttoli, who was married to Paul Cuttoli, French senator, knew all about being a wealthy art collector. She had many cubist art friends and she supported them in their craft. Her extensive collection of original paintings are held by the National Museum in Paris. She was not just satisfied to collect art and had a vision to translate this into weavings. She trained a bunch of women in Algeria, where she and her husband were living, to hand craft tapestries depicting the art of her friends. This was in the 1920s, early 1930s. She was also known for her fashions, which she sold in a Paris at her haute couture boutique, Maison Myrbor. Her goal dabbling with tapestry was to bring the art back into the limelight with a modern twist.
Flash forward to the 60s. Marie sends her creations to the USA on a museum tour basically to sell more rugs. She offers a limited edition of some designs made just for the tour, ordered by those folk who wanted the freshest collectible art for their personal collections. Those included Nelson Rockefeller and many of his peers. The rugs did not sell as good as she hoped, which kept the number in existence pretty low. They pretty much turn up in the secondary market once a generation. I have found comps over the last 20 years- as high as $40,000 in high end auction houses. Moving them at that price means finding the right market of wealthy collectors. It’s not an easy thing to do.
During the two years I protected and researched my rug, I was able to adventure to museums for research, found a copy of the 60s tour catalog and even bought a book on Cuttoli in French. She turns up in many doctoral candidates research papers and being a pioneer in women’s business, many have a respect for her as a package….not just as an art producer/collector/fan, but how she turned an art form back into a business and making it viable again. I got to visit Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate in Tarrytown, NY and share my research with the Assistant Curator and view Nelson’s two Cuttoli rugs on display. The final thrill was last November, I finally found someone who appreciates this piece and Cuttoli as much as I and had the ability and expertise in textiles to have it restored. After an amazing afternoon in Manhattan, I handed her off to a beautiful soul who would get her taken care of.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered an exhibit opening THIS WEEK at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia featuring Cuttoli, her tapestries and her story! It only runs for a short time and I hope to get there to witness. A new book published on her ‘in English’ is also accompanying the show. She is finally getting famous in America! Yes, the Parisians adore her. I was told by a French fan on my Instagram that she is not famous in America…..true…..but we are behind the times.
There is a resurgence in interest in women in the textile business and focusing on the orchestration of their creations. Academia is starting to find it a worthy discussion in art history and it is fabulous to see it unfold as an awakened mind. Get out to the Barnes and see a selection of Cuttoli’s creations….haute couture fashion, tapestries and her own collection of original paintings by cubist masters. I guarantee you will be a fan too!
I am looking forward to seeing the exhibit. Will be squeezing in a trip as soon as I can!
Link to the Barnes Foundation info.
Check out a video overview by the curator in the Barnes Foundation Facebook page! Sorry not able to grab a link.
XO Malissa
