Claire Zeisler 1903–1991
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1903, groundbreaking fiber artist Claire Zeisler studied at Columbia College in Chicago, where she immersed herself in the art world through her collection of works by masters like Paul Klee, Joan Miró, and Henry Moore. In addition, she was enamored with African sculpture, Peruvian textiles, and Native American baskets. Zeisler began her artistic career in earnest during the 1940s, studying under avant-garde artists at the Chicago Institute of Design who espoused innovative approaches to texture and form. She honed her skills in weaving but eventually moved away from traditional loom-based techniques to embrace knotting, braiding, and wrapping, which allowed her to create freestanding, sculptural fiber works.
Zeisler's breakthrough came in the 1960s, as she ventured further in the direction of off-loom compositions, liberating fiber art from its traditional boundaries. Her works, often made from natural materials like jute, hemp, and wool, showcased a raw, tactile quality that emphasized the material itself. Known for using bold colors, particularly red, her sculptures combined tightly knotted sections with loose, cascading threads, creating a striking visual contrast. Zeisler's innovative techniques and large, sculptural forms earned her critical acclaim, and she became a leading figure in the fiber art movement alongside contemporaries such as Lenore Tawney and Sheila Hicks.
During her lifetime, Zeisler's work was featured in numerous high-profile exhibitions, including a retrospective at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1979 and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City in 1985. She continued to explore the boundaries of fiber art throughout her career, working with materials such as leather and creating complex, intimate sculptures that challenged traditional notions of craft. While Zeisler passed away in 1991, her contributions to the fiber arts not only pushed the medium into new, experimental realms, but also influenced a generation of subsequent artists, cementing her legacy as a trailblazer in the world of textile and sculptural art.
