Christine

The Christine tapestry reflects the distinctive artistic language of Marcelle Rivier, an artist known for pushing the expressive potential of textile art through bold color and simplified forms. Her compositions often combine figurative elements with abstraction, allowing recognizable shapes to emerge through strong graphic lines and vibrant surfaces.

In this work, a stylized female face appears against a deep blue field. The figure is reduced to a few decisive shapes, with the pronounced profile and elongated features giving the image a sculptural clarity. The design reads almost like a drawing translated into thread, where the contrast between the background and the facial contours creates a striking visual presence.

Handwoven in wool by Atelier 3 in Paris, the tapestry demonstrates the workshop’s careful approach to translating contemporary artworks into woven form. Rather than mechanically reproducing the image, the weavers interpret the composition at the loom, allowing subtle shifts in texture and tone to give the surface depth and movement.

Works such as the Christine tapestry reveal how Rivier’s visual language adapts naturally to the medium of tapestry. The scale of the piece allows the portrait to unfold across the woven surface with clarity, while the softness of wool introduces a tactile dimension that enriches the original composition.

Produced in a limited edition of four examples, Christine stands as a compelling example of contemporary tapestry, where painting, textile craftsmanship, and architectural scale come together within a single work.