About this artwork
Paul Thiry was born to French parents in Nome, Alaska. Trained as an architect, he was most active in the state of Washington. His design Bear liberally reinterprets formline images created in Indigenous communities of the Northwest Coast. Although the screen-printed lines are heavy and lack the sinuous elegance achieved by Native artists, they embrace midcentury modern aesthetics that were popular in furnishings during this period. The kinds of formline images that may have inspired this textile appear on this làkt or bentwood box by James Johnson (Tlingit, Ch’áak’Dakl’aweidi Clan).
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Textiles
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Artist
- Paul Thiry (Designer)
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Title
- Bear (Furnishing Fabric)
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Place
- New York City (Object made in)
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Date
- Made 1950–1955
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Medium
- Linen, plain weave; screen printed
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Inscriptions
- Inscription (on left selvage): L. ANTON MAIX FABRICS N.Y. CITY ©; (on right selvage): "BEAR" by Paul Thiry PAT. REP. 29"
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Dimensions
- 95.3 × 138.5 cm (37 1/2 × 54 1/2 in.); Warp repeat: H.: 75 cm (29 1/2 in.)
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Credit Line
- Christa C. Mayer Thurman Textile Endowment
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Reference Number
- 1996.491
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.