WASHINGTON, DC.- Exquisite artworks created worldwide over the last two thousand years are on view in "Intrinsic Beauty: Celebrating the Art of Textiles" at The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum through June 14, 2025, as The Textile Museum—a leader in the study and appreciation of textiles—celebrates its centennial year.

George Hewitt Myers established The Textile Museum with his collection of some 275 carpets and sixty textiles in two historic buildings in Washington, D.C.'s Kalorama neighborhood 100 years ago, positioning it as a world leader in the study and appreciation of textiles. Today, the museum with its affiliated collections constitutes a global reach of 25,000 textiles ranging in age from the third millennium BCE to the twenty-first century.

For the past decade, the museum's partnership with the George Washington University has enriched research and education through deeper student and faculty engagement with its collections, which are now presented through rotating exhibitions in state-of-the-art galleries on the campus near the White House.

Intrinsic Beauty: Celebrating the Art of Textiles

"Each of 60 spectacular works in this exhibition selected from our collections of more than 25,000 textiles exemplifies the 'intrinsic beauty of design, color, and technique' so prized by The Textile Museum's founder George Hewitt Myers," said John Wetenhall, director, The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum. "They set the stage for our next century as we expand our commitment to preserving artistic heritage, promoting sustainable textile practices, fostering cultural exchange and cultivating the next generation of textile enthusiasts, scholars and museum professionals."

The exhibition—a collaboration among museum curators Sumru Belger Krody, Lee Talbot and Shelley Burian—includes textiles rarely exhibited due to their size or fragility, such as the enormous Safavid carpet measuring approximately twenty-eight by eleven feet that may have decorated a Persian shrine. Other treasures include a fourth-century textile hanging from Egypt with an extraordinary three-dimensional design of a jeweled entryway into a garden; robes embroidered with metallic-wrapped threads for Daoist priests, considered some of the most visually splendid works of Chinese textile art; and a colorful tie-dye alpaca hair tunic (ca. 800-1000) from Peru's Wari culture woven to be taken apart and put together like a jigsaw puzzle.

The juxtaposition of textiles from different regions and time periods creates conversations that shed light on cross-cultural connections and the preeminent roles textiles have played in the social, political, religious, commercial and artistic life of many communities. The museum offers visitors a guide to explore four different pathways through the exhibition and discover intriguing stories of cultural and artistic exchange that led to innovative textile design:

Foundations of a Collection

Museum founder George Hewitt Myers (1875-1957) established The Textile Museum and its library in 1925 with a collection of some 350 rugs and other textiles, originally housed in two historic buildings in Washington, D.C.'s Kalorama neighborhood. By collecting multiple examples of textile or rug types, Myers created opportunities for comparative study in an emerging field of textile studies. Some groups that Myers emphasized—including Mamluk carpets,10th–12th century tiraz fragments, dragon carpets from the Caucasus, and early archaeological textiles from Peru—are represented in "Intrinsic Beauty."

Kilim, Iran, 16th-17th century. Silk. The Textile Museum Collection R33.28.1. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1926. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Dragon carpet, Caucasus, Mid 17th century. Wool. The Textile Museum Collection R36.1.1. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1916. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Tunic, Peru, 750-950. Camelid hair. The Textile Museum Collection 91.341. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1941. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Virtuosity in Textile Art

All the textiles displayed in the "Intrinsic Beauty" exhibition are evidence of masterful artistry, and several seen here are among the best examples of their kind. They include a Buddhist priest’s mantle; a section of a Turkish embroidered cover from the Ottoman empire; and a delicate piña blouse from 19th-century Philippines.

Buddhist priest’s mantle, jiasha, China. Silk, Metallic-Wrapped Thread, Paint. The Textile Museum Collection 51.66. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1949. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Fragment from a cover, Türkiye, 16th/17th century. The Textile Museum Collection 1.22. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers prior to March 1940. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Piña blouse, Philippines, 19th century. The Textile Museum Collection 1998.6.1C. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. George W. White. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Artists’ Perspectives

To broaden interpretive perspective, the museum invited living artists to reflect on the quality and craftsmanship they see revealed in works as varied as a chief's tunic or cape from the Democratic Republic of Congo or Angola, possibly 19th century; and a 14th-15th century curtain fragment that once hung in the Alhambra Palace in Spain. Visitors will find artists' commentary in labels beside selected artworks.

Chief’s tunic or cape, Democratic Republic of the Congo or Angola, possibly 19th century. The Textile Museum Collection 1962.1.14. Museum purchase. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Fragment from a curtain, Spain, Granada, Islamic, Spanish, Late 14th-early 15th century. Silk. The Textile Museum Collection 84.11. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1931. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

An Interwoven World

When cultures collide, evidence of artistic exchange can be seen in the textile arts, such as a hanging showing the “Pelican in Her Piety” from 17th-century Spanish Colonial Peru and a 16th-17th century ecclesiastical garment with fabrics from Türkiye's Ottoman empire and Iran's Safavid empire.

“Pelican in Her Piety” hanging, Spanish Colonial Peru, 1650-1700. Cotton, camelid hair, silk. The Textile Museum Collection 91.504. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1951. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

16th-17th century Ecclesiastical Garment, Türkiye, Iran. Ottoman, Safavid. Silk. The Textile Museum Collection 1994.27.2. Gift of Neutrogena Corporation. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Centennial Collections Book - "Textile Treasures"

In honor of The Textile Museum’s centennial, the museum is releasing “Textile Treasures,” the first major publication to bring together global masterworks from The Textile Museum Collection, including artworks on display in "Intrinsic Beauty." Produced in collaboration with Hali Publications, it features stunning photography along with research from curators Sumru Belger Krody, Lee Talbot and Shelley Burian, as well as contributors Carol M. Bier, Walter B. Denny, Barbara G. and David W. Fraser, Mariachiara Gasparini, Mattibelle Gittinger, Louise W. Mackie, Ann Pollard Rowe and Rebecca A. T. Stevens.

Enduring Traditions

A second centennial exhibition, "Enduring Traditions: Celebrating the World of Textiles," will explore the cultural significance of treasures from the collection and reveals traditions and values of communities across continents. It will be on view August 16 through December 20, 2025.

Textile hanging, Japan, 13th century. Silk, Human hair. The Textile Museum Collection 52.20A. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1951. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Carpet with the joined coat of arms of Alfonso V of Aragon and Maria of Castile, Spain, Spanish; Andalusian, 1415-1418. Goat Hair. The Textile Museum Collection R44.4.1. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1944. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Carpet, Northwestern Iran, Tabriz, Safavid, c. 1500. Cotton, wool. The Textile Museum Collection 1960.9.1. Gift of Josefph V. McMullen in memory of George Hewitt Myers. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Carpet, Türkiye, 17th century. Goat hair. The Textile Museum Collection R.34.34.1. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1927. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Man's robe; India (fabric), Iran (tailoring), late 17th century. The Textile Museum Collection 3.112. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1927. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Textile Hanging, India, Golconda, 18th century. Cotton. The Textile Museum Collection 6.129. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1947. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Carpet, Central Asia, Turkmenistan, Turkman, 18th century. Wool. The Textile Museum Collection R37.5.2. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1914. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Chair cover, China, Qianlong period (1736-1795). The Textile Museum Collection 51.85. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1956. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Dragon robe, China, Mandchu, First quarter 19th century. Silk, metallic-wrapped yarn, gilt paper, button, metal. The Textile Museum Collection 1973.30.1. Gift of Brigadier General Regan Fuller. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Curtain, Algeria, Algiers, Arab, 18th-19th century. Linen, Silk. The Textile Museum Collection 76.1. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1924. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Sarape, Mexico, 1840-1870. Cotton. The Textile Museum Collection 87.4. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers prior to 1956. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Shoulder cloth, Indonesia, 1875-1900. The Textile Museum Collection 1986.13.2. Gift of Mary Jane and Sanford Bloom. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Palepai, Indonesia, Sumatra, Paminggir. Cotton. The Textile Museum Collection 1962.41.1. Museum Purchase. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Woman's Ceremonial Skirt / Tapis Inu, Indonesia, Sumatra. Cotton, silk. The Textile Museum Collection 1982.37.2. Museum Purchase. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Asmalik, Central Asia, Turkmenistan, Turkman, Tekke. Wool. The Textile Museum Collection 1980.13.2. Gift of Arthur D. Jenkins. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Mantle, Peru. The Textile Museum Collection 91.192. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1933. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.

Carpet, Türkiye, Ushak, Ottoman. Wool. The Textile Museum Collection R34.1. Acquired by George Hewitt Myers in 1918. Courtesy of the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.