Shells
1967 · Linen and silk, knit in shell knitting, ladder, fancy crossed throw, and knit into stitch below stitches
218.3 × 106.1 cm (86 × 41 3/4 in.)
Art Institute of Chicago
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Mary Walker Phillips
Artist
Textile
Representation
None documented
2
Institutional Exhibitions
2
Works in Collection
5
Assets Indexed
0
Authority-backed Facts
0
Publications Referenced
70%
Profile Completeness
Cultural Positioning
Movements
No movements recorded
Related Artists
No edges recorded
Influence Graph
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Selected Institutional Exhibitions
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Recent Acquisitions: Design Collection
Museum of Modern Art, New York
1970–1971
No image
Wall Hangings
Museum of Modern Art, New York
1969
About
Why this artist matters now
Mary Walker Phillips is an American weaver who treats the loom as a sculptural instrument, creating dimensional woven forms in linen, wool, and silk that depart from traditional tapestry conventions. Working within postwar abstraction, she developed distinctive fiber structures and surface techniques that prioritize the material's three-dimensional potential over representational imagery. Her practice established the loom as a tool for spatial and tactile invention rather than surface reproduction.
Source: Moma Bulk 2026 05 04 · Trust score: 92% · Updated 26d ago
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Movement
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Medium
Textile
Related Artists
6 in graph
Institutional
Museum Collections
Canonical record
Artworks (2)
Record
Images
Related artists
Adjacent in the graph
Record
Movements and affiliations
No movements linked yet
Institutional
Representation & Collections
In collection
Museum of Modern Art
New York, US
In collection
Art Institute of Chicago
Record