From October 12, 2024, to March 16, 2025, the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain presents the first major European retrospective of Olga de Amaral, a pioneering figure in Fiber Art and a key contributor to the Colombian art scene. Bringing together nearly eighty works spanning from the 1960s to the present, many of which have never been exhibited outside Colombia, the exhibition offers an exploration of Amaral’s artistic evolution, highlighting her material experimentation, large-scale compositions, and deep connection to landscape and memory.
Since the 1960s, Olga de Amaral has redefined the boundaries of textile art, working with materials such as linen, cotton, horsehair, gesso, gold leaf, and palladium. Her practice fuses modernist principles—which she encountered at the Cranbrook Academy of Art—with Latin American vernacular traditions and pre-Columbian influences. Amaral’s work moves beyond conventional tapestry, creating sculptural, three-dimensional forms that engage with light, texture, and space.
This retrospective sheds light on key moments in her artistic career, from her early explorations of grids and colour to her monumental golden Estelas (Stelae) and the ethereal Brumas (Mists) series. The exhibition also highlights the philosophical depth of her work, where textiles are not just woven materials but immersive landscapes of contemplation.
Despite international recognition, Amaral’s work has rarely been showcased in Europe at this scale. The Fondation Cartier seeks to offer a fresh and comprehensive perspective, revealing how her contributions align with the avant-garde movements of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s while challenging the traditional categorisation of fiber art as a decorative practice. This exhibition positions Amaral’s work within the larger narrative of post-war abstraction, demonstrating its relevance and influence beyond Latin America.
French-Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh has designed an immersive scenography that enhances the dialogue between Amaral’s works, the Jean Nouvel-designed building, and the surrounding garden. Inspired by Amaral’s use of natural elements and landscape, Ghotmeh has created a slate-stone landscape on the ground floor, evoking the rugged terrains that often appear in Amaral’s photographs. In the basement level, she reinterprets the spiral motif found in Amaral’s works, creating an enveloping, meditative space that guides visitors through the artist’s creative universe.
About Olga de Amaral
Born in Bogotá in 1932, Olga de Amaral is a visionary artist whose work transcends disciplines, existing at the intersection of painting, sculpture, and architecture. Recognised as a ‘Visionary Artist’ by the Museum of Arts and Design, New York, and a recipient of the Women’s Caucus for Art Lifetime Achievement Award, her work is housed in major collections worldwide, including the Tate Modern, MoMA, and the Art Institute of Chicago.