Large Scandinavian Abstract Wool Tapestry, by Asger Jorn (CoBrA) circa 1955

Details

Description

Large Scandinavian Abstract Wool Tapestry, Attributed to Asger Jorn (CoBrA), circa 1955

Attributed to: Asger Jorn
Origin: Scandinavia
Period: Mid-20th … Read more Large Scandinavian Abstract Wool Tapestry, Attributed to Asger Jorn (CoBrA), circa 1955

Attributed to: Asger Jorn
Origin: Scandinavia
Period: Mid-20th Century
Movement: CoBrA / Postwar Scandinavian Modernism
Materials: Hand-tufted wool on textile foundation

Dimensions
Height: 76 inches
Width: 55 inches


This large-scale Scandinavian abstract wool tapestry is attributed to Asger Jorn, a founding figure of the CoBrA movement, and dates to circa 1955, as indicated by the woven numeral “55” incorporated within the composition. Executed in hand-tufted wool, the work reflects Jorn’s postwar engagement with textiles as an extension of drawing and painting, where instinctive gesture, material experimentation, and expressive immediacy replace academic restraint.

The composition features interlocking biomorphic figures rendered in expressive black and blue-gray linework against a natural wool ground. Distorted faces, elongated limbs, and totemic forms overlap vertically, creating a dynamic, mural-like surface. This visual language closely aligns with Jorn’s mid-1950s output, in which human and animal forms merge into psychologically charged abstractions rooted in mythology, spontaneity, and anti-academic expression—central principles of the CoBrA ethos.

Hand-tufted rather than machine-woven, the tapestry displays irregular contours and subtle variations in pile height that reinforce its freehand, artist-driven character. A handwritten-style “Jorn” inscription appears within the field, consistent with known Scandinavian artist-designed textiles of the period, which were frequently executed by workshops from artist-supplied designs rather than formally signed or labeled.

its scale, technique, date marking, and visual vocabulary correspond closely to documented textiles designed by Jorn in the mid-1950s, including works produced for Scandinavian workshops during that period. It is therefore offered with a responsible and professionally accepted “attributed to” designation.

Equally suitable for use as a wall tapestry or as an architectural textile, this piece represents a compelling example of postwar European artist-designed decorative art, bridging the disciplines of fine art, textile design, and modernist interior practice.

About Asger Jorn

Asger Jorn (1914–1973) was a Danish painter, sculptor, ceramicist, and theorist, and a founding member of the influential CoBrA movement (Copenhagen–Brussels–Amsterdam). Educated at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and later in Paris under Fernand Léger, Jorn developed a highly distinctive visual language that fused modernist abstraction with myth, folklore, and expressive figuration. Rejecting academic formalism, he championed spontaneity, collective creativity, and material experimentation.

While best known for his paintings, Jorn worked extensively across media, including ceramics, murals, and textiles, viewing the applied arts as a natural extension of fine art rather than a secondary discipline. During the 1950s, he collaborated with Scandinavian workshops to translate his drawings into tapestries and rugs, many of which were executed from artist-supplied designs rather than personally fabricated. Jorn’s work is held in major international museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou, Tate, Guggenheim, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark.

Condition
Good vintage condition with age-appropriate wear consistent with mid-20th-century hand-tufted textiles. No significant losses observed. See less