Taeuber-Arp made this “needle-painting” when she was working as an applied arts teacher and participating in the Zurich Dada movement, which sought to challenge traditional values in art, often with humor and playfulness. One of her smallest embroideries, this abstract textile might have originally functioned as a study for a larger tapestry or pillow cover. However, by placing the textile within an oversized gilded frame, she wittily transformed it into a “fine” art object not unlike a religious image or icon.
MoMA
