I offer a grand selection of mid century modern style tapestries in my Etsy shop. A fair share of these pieces was envisioned by a distinct group of artistic textile designers in the 1960s, hence the coherence in style and color scheme. Let me introduce the art leader of this group: László Pécsi.
- Home textile industry pre- and post-WW2
- Laszlo Pecsi at the Home Textile Co., 1960s
- Pecsi’s ars poetica
Home textile industry pre- and post-WW2
In Hungary, artistic home textile design was a young industry in the 1960s. The once beautiful achievements of Hungarian textile art were lost in the mass production before the Second World War, in the kitsch-like mechanical imitation of craftmanship. No care was taken to create textile patterns that correspond to new (machine) technologies. The development of textile art, which was considered modern at the time, could only begin in the economic environment after the Second World War. László Pécsi (1929-1984), a young Munkácsy-award winning designer, played a significant role in this.
Laszlo Pecsi at the Home Textile Co., 1960s
After his advanced studies in applied arts, Pecsi worked as a designer in one of Hungary’s largest textile production plants, Textilework in Kőszeg. He studied and experimented here in the 1950s. He strove to make full use of the possibilities offered by large-scale production, and created something new in almost every factory genre. He also designed rugs, upholstery fabric, tapestries and blankets/throws. Later his activity grew beyond the factory framework and he created more and more unique textile designs. He presented these in 1961 at his own exhibition in Budapest. Pecsi also actively participated in exhibitions in Rome, Moscow, Berlin, New York etc.
The Garden – an almost depressing color scheme with abstract flowers and trees
The Garden was produced in several different color schemes
Laszlo Pecsi became the artistic director of Hungary’s one and only Home Textile Company (LAkásTEXtil Vállalat – LATEX), which was created in 1963 by merging all the home textile factories of the country. Here, in addition to his design activities, he also managed the group of designers in each production sites. At LATEX Pecsi and his team created a best-seller piece of home decoration which became known as ‘Emese’ tapestry. These tapestries were made of a semi-synthetic woven fabric called ‘moquette’. It is a very soft yet durable pile-structure textile that is perfect for fine and detailed design:
Fine lines and abstract design on a machine woven moquette fabric
The textiles Pecsi designed were featured in numerous exhibitions in Hungary and abroad. His artistic work was honored with the Munkácsy Award in 1964 and 1972 – the first among industrial designers (this is an award given by the Hungarian State in recognition of outstanding visual arts activity).
Hand knotted rug by Laszlo Pecsi ‘Spring’
His most important works can also be found in public collections and institutions: industrial textiles, flatweave and hand knotted tapestries and yarn compositions – including a 32 sq m (344 sq ft) tapestry in the presidential conference room of the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest.
Pecsi’s ars poetica
He summarized his ars poetica as follows: “Our task is for the machine to be for us what the brush is for the painter. We have to create our works from several components. Individual emotion is not enough. Artistic preparation is not enough either. We must know the technical possibilities, the material, the technology, and even the point of view of the trade.
The work of the home textile designer is not valid in itself, like a painting or a sculpture. You have to see the whole interior…
where the rug, curtain or blanket you envisioned can not only be displayed well, but also prevail. Our work is like that of the orchestra. If everyone does their part well, then the harmony will be perfect.”
Modern abstract wall tapestry design in different color schemes, 1960s
