Anni Albers: the weaver who rewrote modernism

Ali Morris | Wallpaper | 6th April 2026

Albers began studying textiles at the Bauhaus which she found to be competitive and sexist. After leaving Nazi Germany for the US, she developed textiles as a serious medium within modern art. A solo show at MoMA in 1949 was a turning point, showcasing works that were abstract yet emphasised the inherent quality of materials. The way she prioritised structure over decoration led one critic to call her a “fabric engineer”.  Her late printmaking likewise created images “through process rather than gesture.”