The Principal Wife

1984

Sheila Hicks

(American, b. 1934)

Culture

America

Medium

linen, rayon, acrylic yarns

Measurements

Overall: 254 x 203.2 x 20.4 cm (100 x 80 x 8 1/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Watson K. Blair 2011.32

This artwork is known to be under copyright.

Location

229C Contemporary

Did You Know?

Hicks has studied textile traditions in South America, Mexico, Morocco, and India throughout her six-decade career, and combines indigenous techniques with modernist ideals to create her hanging fiber works.

Description

The Principal Wife is part of a larger series by the pioneering fiber artist Sheila Hicks. To make these works Hicks wraps bundles of undyed linen thread with brightly dyed thread at random intervals to form dynamic hangings that cascade down the wall. Like an object found in nature, this sculpture combines both structure and spontaneity. The linen fibers are fastidiously wrapped in colored threads, while the organic draping of the fiber bundles is left to gravity.