Arthur Boyd Tapestries Exhibition at National Gallery of Australia Reveals Trust and Collaboration

The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) presents 'Arthur Boyd: Tapestries,' an exhibition showcasing 20 monumental tapestries woven at Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre in Portugal between 1972 and 1975. The tapestries, each measuring 2.5 by 3.4 meters, were based on Boyd's pastel drawings of St. Francis of Assisi and Nebuchadnezzar's Dream. The weavers worked from small photographic transparencies without seeing the original artworks, requiring immense trust. The commission cost Boyd approximately three-quarters of a million dollars in today's terms and faced challenges including Portugal's Carnation Revolution, production delays, and rising costs. The exhibition, curated by Adam Lindsay and Elspeth Pitt, runs until October 18, 2026, and includes demonstrations by the Australian Tapestry Workshop and contemporary weaver Karen Black. Research for the exhibition identified lead weavers and cartoon makers, including former production manager Fernanda Fortunato, now in her nineties, who recalled the collaboration intimately. Boyd expressed dissatisfaction with only one tapestry, 'St Francis turning Brother Masseo' (1973), calling it 'too crude.' The tapestries remain among the most ambitious commissions by an Australian artist.