Georgia and the silk route: exhibition of silk scarves from the Maeght Gallery in Paris

Les Foulards de la Galerie Maeght – Silk Scarves from the Maeght Gallery in Paris – is the current exhibition at the The National Gallery in Tbilisi as part of the Silk Route theme. Held from 12-23 February 2016, the exhibition displays 46 framed silk scarves.

The Marguerite and Aime Maeght Foundation (a private foundation) owns one of the largest collections of paintings, sculptures, and graphic works of the 20th century in Europe. The tradition of the Foundation is to make silk scarves based on the sketches of the artists in their collections, and present them to outstanding people. The scarves are made in collaboration with the Lyon silk factory, Brochier Soieries.

This is the fourth exhibition in the world of the silk scarves – the first in 1984 was held in Lyon, the second in 1990 was in the Tokyo Silk Museum, and the third was last year, 2015, in the Centre of Contemporary Art (CAC 41N 41E) in Batumi, Georgia.

The Dimitri Shevardnadze National Gallery showcases 46 silk scarves – twill de soie – silk scarves from the Maeght Foundation. The scarves date from 1957 to 2015, with most of them from the 1980s and 1990s, although they are not arranged in chronological order. The two 2015 scarves are displayed apart – in the two-roomed exhibition. There are a few large scarves and a rectangular scarf, with all other scarves being 90x90 centimetres square.

My favourite (above) of the blue tigers is by Jacques Monory (1977) – a rectangular scarf of 60x160 centimetres. Another favourite (below) is a Crepe de Chine scarf by Walasse Ting (1981).

The blue and red faces by Marc Chagall is silk organdie (1958).

The red scarfed man is by Valerio Adami (1971).

Below is Hommage a Aime Maeght by Pierre Alechinsky (1980).

The Hands (2014) is by Ra’Anan Levy. Yellow and Brown (1989) is by Dominique Labauvie, and Words (1993) is by Jean Cortot.

MARTINA NICOLLS is the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).