Metropolitan Museum's 2002 Tapestry Exhibition Showcases Rare Francis Bacon Rugs

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presented a significant tapestry exhibition from March 12 to June 19, 2002, featuring 41 works created between the 1400s and contemporary times. This marked New York's first major tapestry show since the early 1970s. Displayed in the Met's Tisch Galleries, the exhibition highlighted collaborative efforts between cartoonists and anonymous weavers. Among thirteen contemporary commissions, the most compelling pieces demonstrated how the tapestry medium enhanced their imagery. Two rare rugs designed by Francis Bacon surfaced in an Iranian dealer's collection, purchased years earlier from an elderly woman who used them as hallway floor coverings. These textiles incorporate the artist's name into their designs and might have appeared in Francis Bacon's personal spaces. The exhibition emphasized both historical craftsmanship and modern artistic interpretations of tapestry traditions.