Yves Zurstrassen

Yves Zurstrassen translates his pictorial exploration into tapestry, reinventing his non-figurative compositions through the craft of weaving with wool and silk threads. About Yves Zurstrassen is not a jack-of-all-trades. He is an artist who knows how to transpose his pictorial exploration beyond the realm of painting. Renowned for his non-figurative compositions, created using collages and decollages, he now translates this unique artistic vocabulary into the craft of tapestry. It is a natural fit, as the thickness of the thread, the texture of the weave, and the way the material catches the light lend depth to the flat areas of color and movement to the abstract motifs. Like Jean Lurçat, Sonia Delaunay, or Henri Matisse, one of his major sources of inspiration, Yves Zustrassen does not simply copy his paintings; he reinvents his art, with silk or wool fibers replacing stencils, cut-out paper, brushes, and paintbrushes. Rather than blending the colors, they form blocks that accentuate the geometric structure of the original work. While the time required to complete a painting by Yves Zurstrassen—from applying the pigments, the placement of the papers, and their removal—is part of a process that can span several weeks, the creation of a tapestry (most of which were produced by the master weavers at the Ateliers Tournaisiens de Tapisserie in Belgium) requires an infinitely longer time. Nevertheless, this slowness in no way diminishes the underlying rhythm that characterizes the work of Yves Zurstrassen, a music enthusiast, particularly of jazz. The same tempo permeates his visual compositions and his textile creations, aptly titled Summertime or Something Else. For regardless of the medium, the essentials always resurface: form, color, and pure emotion. Read more Toggle Crafts