African American Crazy Quilt, 1935-40

West Virginia

Wool, velvet, wool ties
68 x 85 in.; 73 x 92 in. framed

Incorporating abstract, geometric forms with dynamic swaths of color, this quilt made in 1930s West Virginia is an important work of 20th-century art. “Crazy quilting” refers to the use of irregular strips of cloth in designs that reject recognizable motifs in favor of highly original and experimental compositions. Abstract, geometric forms are influenced by the architectural details and colors of the southern landscape and share the formal qualities of 20th-century American modernist art. The tied knots are spaced evenly across the textile, and although they serve to hold the three layers of the quilt in place, they also form a creative and unique design element.

Quilts have traditionally been passed down through generations as family heirlooms, incorporating the idea of ancestry and the preservation of memory through fragments of worn and repurposed fabric. Today quilting is recognized as a form of high art, with contemporary artists like Faith Ringgold, Sanford Biggers, and Bisa Butler incorporating this genre into their practice.

More information on American quilts can be found here:

https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/features/quilts-mfa-boston-fabric-of-a-nation-1234606821/