Born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, 1943
Education
MA, University of California at Los Angeles, CA, 1969
School of Arts and Crafts, Basel, Switzerland, major in textile design, 1967
Polytechnical University, School of Architecture, Lausanne, Switzerland, 1963
Baccalaureate Scientifique, Neuchâtel, Switzerland, 1962
Lives and works in Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Selected One-Person Exhibitions
2022
Volume Gallery, Chicago, IL
2017
Blum & Poe, New York, NY
2016
Françoise Grossen Selects, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY
Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA
2015
Blum & Poe, New York, NY
1991
Franklin Parrasch Gallery, New York, NY
1987
Sculptures, Musée d’art et d’histoire, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
1983
Goldstein Gallery, Saint Paul, MN
1980
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, PA
1978
Reed College of Art Galleries, Portland, OR (in pond)
1976
Kaplan Baumann Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Hadler Galleries, New York, NY
Taue & Knoten, Museum Bellerive, Zurich, Switzerland
1970
San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
1969
University of California, Los Angeles, CA
1968
Jack Lenor Larsen, Inc. Showroom, New York, NY
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023
Making Their Mark, Curated by Cecilia Alemani, Shah Garg Collection, New York, NY
Re-materialized: The Stuff That Matters, Kaufmann Repetto, New York, NY
Re-materialized: The Stuff That Matters, Kaufmann Repetto, Milan, Italy
2021
Emily Ludwig Shaffer & Françoise Grossen, L’INCONNUE Gallery, New York, NY
2019
Where were you at night, S|2 Gallery, Sotheby's, London, UK
2016
Revolution in the Making: Abstract Sculpture by Women, 1947 – 2016, Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, Los Angeles, CA
First Light: A Decade of Collecting at the ICA, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MATapisseries nomads, Foundation Toms Pauli, 20th Century Collection, Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland
2015
The Textile Room, Museum Bellerive, Zurich, Switzerland
2014
Fiber: Sculpture 1960-Present, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA; traveled to Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, OH and Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, IA
What Would Mrs. Webb Do? A Founder’s Vision, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY
2012
High Fiber: Recent Large Scale Acquisitions in Fiber, Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI
2010
Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, IL
2006
Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL
Greenwich Library, Finn Gallery, Greenwich, CT
2005
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
Renwick Gallery, Washington D.C.
1995
Fiber: Five Decades from the Permanent Collection, American Craft Museum, New York, NY
1993
National Museum of Mali, Bamako, Mali
Small Works in Fiber: The Collection of Mildred Constantine, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
1992
Intimate and Intense: Small Fiber Structures, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN
1991
Museum Bellerive, Zurich, Switzerland
Helen Drutt Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
1989
Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, NY
Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando, FL
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA
1988
Musée de Belfort, France
Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaca, NY
Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Cultural Center, Chicago, IL
New York State Museum, Albany, NY
1987
XIII Biennale Internationale de la Tapisserie, Lausanne, Switzerland
Philbrook Art Center, Tulsa, OK
1986
Fiber R/ Evolution, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI
Museum Bellerive, Zurich, Switzerland
Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, NY
Jacques Baruch Gallery (At Navy Pier), Chicago, IL
Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IA
Maison De La Culture, Montreal, Canada
1985
Modern Master Tapestries, New York, NY
1984
Kunstverein St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
Diverse Works, Inc., Houston, TX
Twining Gallery, New York, NY
Thompson Gallery, Mass. College of Art, Boston, MA
1983
Modern Master Tapestries, New York, NY
Hillwood Art Gallery, Long Island University, NY
1982
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
Cooper-Hewitt Museum, New York, NY
Jacques Baruch Gallery, Chicago, IL
The Katonah Gallery, Katonah, NY
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Modern Master Tapestries, New York, NY
1981
Jacques Baruch Gallery, Chicago, IL
American Craft Museum, New York, NY
Old Traditions – New Directions, Textile Museum, Washington, D.C.
The Art of Fabric: Mainstream, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH
1980
Greenwood Gallery, Washington, D.C.
Jacques Baruch Gallery, Chicago, IL
Grey Art Gallery, New York University, New York, NY
1979
Transformation: UCLA Alumni in Fiber, F.S Wright Art Gallery, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
Recent Fiber, Davis Art Gallery, University of Akron, OH
Weich Und Plastisch, Soft Sculpture, Kunsthaus, Zürich, Switzerland
1978
3rd Textile Triennale, Central Museum, Lodz, Poland
1977
VIII Biennale Internationale de la Tapisserie, Lausanne, Switzerland
The Material Dominant, Pennsylvania State University Museum of Art, University Park, PA
Six Europeans/Art in Fiber 1977, The Hadler Galleries Ltd., Houston, TX
Artistry: Clay & Fiber, Sarah Lawrence College Art Gallery, Bronxville, NY
Fiberworks-The Americas and Japan, National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto and Tokyo, Japan
Fiberworks, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Compositions in Fibers, Jacques Baruch Gallery, Chicago, IL
1976
Focus on Fiber, Jacques Baruch Gallery, Chicago, IL
1975
VII Biennale Internationale de la Tapisserie, Lausanne, Switzerland
1974
In Praise of Hands, Ontario Science Centre, Toronto, Canada
1st International Exhibition of Miniature Textiles, British Crafts Centre, London, UK
1973
VI Biennale Internationale de la Tapisserie, Lausanne, Switzerland
1972
Sculpture in Fibre, Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York, NY
1971
V Biennale Internationale de la Tapisserie, Lausanne, Switzerland
Deliberate Entanglements: An Exhibition of Fabric Forms, UCLA Art Galleries, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
1969
Wall Hangings, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
IV Biennale Internationale de la Tapisserie, Lausanne, Switzerland
1968
Objects Are?, Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York, NY
Awards and Grants
2020
Prix de la Société des Arts de Genève nominee
2016
American Craft Council Award
1981
Women in Design International Honor Award
1977
National Endowment for the Arts Award
1967-70
UCLA Art Council Awards
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Selected Catalogues
2023
Godfrey, Mark, and Katy Siegel. Making Their Mark: Art by Women in the Shah Garg Collection. Gregory R. Miller, 2023.
Amor, Monica. Gego: Weaving the Space in Between. Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2023, 87.
2021
Adamson, Glenn and Jen Padgett. Crafting America: Artists and Objects 1940 to Today. Bentonville, AR: The University of Arkansas Press, 2021.
2016
Schimmel, Paul and Jenni Sorkin, eds. Revolution in the Making: Abstract Sculpture by Women 1947-2016. Los Angeles: Hauser & Wirth Publishers; Milan: Skira editore, 2016.
2014
Porter, Jenelle. Fiber: Sculpture 1960-Present. Munich; New York: Prestel, 2014.
2011
Falino, Jeannine. Crafting Modernism: Midcentury American Art and Design. New York: Abrams, 2011.
2009
Auther, Elissa. String, Felt, Thread: The Hierarchy of Art and Craft in American Art. St. Paul: University of Minnesota Press, 2009.
2006
Ullrich, Polly. Material Difference: Soft Sculpture and Wall Work. Western Springs, IL: Friends of Fiber Arts, 2006.
1990
Miller, Craig R. Modern Design 1890-1990. New York: Abrams, 1990.
1987
Cohen, Ronny, Ruth Kaufmann, and Claude Ritschard, eds. Françoise Grossen: Sculptures. Neuchâtel: Musée d'art et d'histoire Neuchâtel, 1987.
1986
Larsen, Jack Lenor, and Betty Freudenheim. Interlacing the Elemental Fabric. Tokyo: Kodensha International, 1986.
Pichler, Richard. Swiss Artists in New York. Switzerland: Ringier, 1986.
Watson-Jones, Virginia. Contemporary American Women Sculptors. Phoenix: Oryx Press, 1986.
1985
Thomas, Michel. L’art textile. Geneva: Skira, 1985.
1982
Brolin, Brent C., and Jean Richards. Sourcebook of Architectural Ornament. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
1980
Constantine, Mildred, and Jack Lenor Larsen. The Art Fabric: Mainstream, New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
Lucie-Smith, Edward. Art in the Seventies. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1980.
1977
Hall, Julie. Tradition + Change: The New American Craftsman. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1977.
Waller, Irene. Textile Sculptures. New York: Taplinger, 1977.
Compositions in Fibers. Chicago: Jacques Baruch Gallery, 1977.
1976
Françoise Grossen. New York: Hadler Galleries, 1976.
Grossen, Françoise, and Erika Billeter. Taue & knoten: konzeptionen, konstruktionen in Macramé. Zurich: Museum Bellerive, 1976.
1974
First International Exhibition of Miniature Textiles. London: Michael Collins Limited, 1974.
Jarry, Madeleine. La Tapisserie, Art du XXe siècle. Fribourg: Office du Livre, 1974.
Meilach, Dona Z. Soft Sculpture and Other Soft Art Forms, with Stuffed Fabrics, Fibers, and Plastics. New York: Crown Publishers, 1974.
1973
Kuenzi, André. La Nouvelle Tapisserie. Geneva: Les Editions de Bonvent, 1973.
1972
Constantine, Mildred, and Jack Lenor Larsen. Beyond Craft: The Art Fabric. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1972.
Articles & Reviews
2021
Seidel, Madeleine. “Emily Ludwig Shaffer & Françoise Grossen.” Brooklyn Rail (June 2021).
Grossen, Françoise. “From Switzerland with Love.” Balcony 1 (Summer 2021): 19-35.
2020
Adamson, Glenn. “Why the Art World Is Embracing Craft.” Artsy.net, January 13, 2020.
Viladas, Pilar. “Studio Mellone Creates Alchemy in This Cobble Hill Apartment.” ArchitecturalDigest.com, February 28, 2020.
2019
Keltner de Valle, Jane. “Inside Fashion Designer Ulla Johnson's Bohemian Brownstone.” ArchitecturalDigest.com, August 6, 2019.
Rodney, Seph. “The Best Art Shows of the Decade.” Hyperallergic.com, December 23, 2019.
Roffino, Sara. “Rafael De Cárdenas Selects His Picks at Object & Thing.” CulturedMag.com, April 30, 2019.
2018
Rodney, Seph. "How to Have Interesting Weight." Hyperallergic.com, January 5, 2018.
"Textile Artist Françoise Grossen at Blum & Poe." State of the Arts NYC (blog), January 4, 2018.
2017
"Going on about Town: Françoise Grossen." New Yorker, November 2017.
Gopnik, Blake. “In Françoise Grossen, A Hint that Macrame Holds the Secret to Post-Sixties Art.” Artnet News, January 12, 2017.
Haddad, Natalie. "Françoise Grossen's Gift of Quietude." Hyperallergic.com, December 23, 2017.
Schwendener, Martha. “Art Fall Preview: From East Coast to West Coast. From Concrete to Ethereal.” New York Times, September 16, 2016.
Uttam, Payal. "Losing and Finding Françoise Grossen." Prestige, January 26, 2017.
Vogel, Wendy. "Critics' Picks: Françoise Grossen." Artforum.com, December 15, 2017.
2016
Algera, Kristen and Ernest van der Hoeven. "Follow the Rope." MacGuffin: The Life of Things 3 (Autumn/Winter 2016/2017): 175-188.
Failing, Patricia. “Tied and True: Françoise Grossen’s Twisted Ropes at Mad Conjure Intriguing Records of Time Wound Up in Exacting Repetitions.” Artnews, November 23, 2016.
Keith, Kelsey. “Meet Françoise Grossen, the Artist Who Predated Your Love of Rope by Four Decades.” Curbed, October 19, 2016.
Miranda, Carolina A. “Datebook: An All-American Collection, Art in a Train Station, Genre-Bending Painting.” Los Angeles Times, August 4, 2016.
Miranda, Carolina A. “Datebook: Art About Play, Colorful Yarn Paintings, Shows of Abstraction and Boogeymen.” Los Angeles Times, August 11, 2016.
Miranda, Carolina A. "Datebook: Sprüth Mager's Key Artists, Japanese-Inspired Ceramics, Video on Tricky Identity." Los Angeles Times, July 1, 2016.
Miranda, Carolina A. “Guillermo del Toro’s Monster’s Ball, the Look of Teen Spirit and London Painters Calling.” Los Angeles Times, July 29, 2016.
Mizota, Sharon. “1977 Message of Strength, Unity.” Los Angeles Times, August 2, 2016: E3.
Schwendener, Martha. “Art Fall Preview: From East Coast to West Coast. From Concrete to Ethereal.” New York Times, September 16, 2016.
Sobieski, Elizabeth. “Crafts Take A Giant Leap Forward.” Huffington Post, July 11, 2016.
Smee, Sebastian. “At the ICA, a Powerful Show From the Collection.” Boston Globe, August 18, 2016.
Stromberg, Matt. “ArtRx LA: Françoise Grossen.” Hyperallergic, June 28, 2016.
“Tuesday’s Gallery Picks.” Pattern Pulp (blog), July 28, 2016.
2015
"10 Artists to Watch This June." Artspace, June 1, 2015.
“Best of 2015: Our Top 20 NYC Art Shows.” Hyperallergic, December 15, 2015.
Gendall, John. “Tying Knots: Françoise Grossen’s Sculptural Ropes on Show at Blum & Poe.”
Wallpaper, June 8, 2015.
Herriman, Kat. “Artist Françoise Grossen Is All Tied Up.” W Magazine (Art & Design blog), June 1, 2015.
Mendelsohn, Meredith. “Textile Artist Françoise Grossen Has Her First U.S. Gallery Survey.” Daily AD (blog), Architectural Digest, June 4, 2015.
“Museum & Gallery Listings for Aug. 14-20.” New York Times, August 13, 2015.
Pini, Gary. “The Must-See Art Shows Opening in NYC This Week.” Paper Magazine, June 3, 2015.
Schwendener, Martha. “Review: Françoise Grossen, a Fabric Artist Inspired by Other Fields.” New York Times, August 6, 2015.
Scott, Andrea K. “Françoise Grossen.” New Yorker (Art) June 23, 2015.
Slenske, Michael. “The Art World’s New Material Obsession: Fiber.” Wall Street Journal, August 14, 2015.
Sutton, Benjamin. “A Textile Artist’s Long Overdue US Survey Ropes You In.” Hyperallergic, June 26, 2015.
Vali, Murtaza. “Françoise Grossen.” Artforum.com, August 7, 2015.
Yerebakan, O.C. “New York: Françoise Grossen at Blum & Poe Through August 14th, 2015.” Art Observed, July 20, 2015.
2014
Cook, Greg. “A New History of Fiber Artists Who Tried to Turn Craft into Art.” The ARTery,
October 1, 2014.
Meier, Allison. “Weaving a Bridge Back to Fiber Sculpture’s Unraveling History.” Hyperallergic, September 24, 2014.
Museum & Public Collections
American Craft Museum, New York, NY
American District Telegraph Company, New York, NY
Aramco Building, Dhahram, Saudi Arabia
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Bank of Boston, New Bedford, MA
Bank of San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
Citibank, 111 Wall Street, New York, NY
Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Dreyfus Fund, General Motors Building, New York, NY
Embarcadero Regency Hyatt, San Francisco, CA
Hotel Regency Hyatt, Montreal, Canada
LongHouse Reserve, East Hampton, NY
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN
Musée d’art et d’histoire, Neuchatel, Switzerland
Museum Bellerive, Zurich, SwitzerlandMuseum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY
Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL
North Texas State University, Dallas, TX
O’Hare Regency Hyatt House, Chicago, IL
One Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA
Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI
Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Rudin Management, New York, NY
San Mateo Fashion Island, San Mateo, CA
Secaucus Municipal Government Center, Secaucus, NJ
State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Ullico, Washington, D.C.