LAUSANNE.- mudac and the Toms Pauli Foundation lift the veil on an exhibition where wall tapestry becomes a bold political and social manifesto. Bringing together masterpieces from the Toms collection and contemporary works by Goshka Macuga and Grayson Perry, this exhibition highlights tapestry – often monumental in scale – as a powerful medium of propaganda and critical reflection.

Throughout history, tapestry has served as a formidable vehicle for storytelling and testimony. From medieval times to contemporary practice, it has offered a space where collective aspirations, historical narratives and present-day concerns converge. This exhibition showcases major works from the Toms collection, woven in the renowned Brussels workshops between 1660 and 1725, alongside pieces by contemporary artists Goshka Macuga and Grayson Perry. Classical works such as The Story of Scipio Africanus or The Emperors Titus and Vespasian stage symbolic and glorious episodes from Roman history. Two tapestries are being presented to the public for the very first time, testament to the exceptional quality and prestige of this collection, held by the State of Vaud.

These historical masterpieces, counterparts of which can be found at the Louvre, The Prado and The Hermitage, resonate powerfully with the socially engaged works of Macuga and Perry. Through series such as The Vanity of Small Differences by Perry or Death of Marxism, Women of All Lands Unite by Macuga, the exhibition explores contemporary themes: social struggles, critiques of consumer society and power dynamics. For the occasion, Macuga has created a new tapestry, specially conceived in dialogue with the Toms collection, offering a fresh and timely perspective. By placing historic and contemporary works in conversation, the exhibition underscores tapestry’s enduring power as a visual language, one capable of conveying complex ideas and prompting reflection on universal issues.

The Times in Tapestry exhibition coincides with the 25th anniversary of both mudac and the Toms Pauli Foundation in 2025. Weaving time, weaving connections – this is precisely what these two institutions have long been doing through tapestry and textile art, after inheriting the legacy of Lausanne’s former Museum of Decorative Arts (MAD) and the International Centre for Ancient and Modern Tapestry (CITAM).

Lausanne’s close relationship with this medium has been shaped by these cultural institutions, of which mudac and the Toms Pauli Foundation are today the worthy successors. mudac has inherited the tangible and intangible legacy of the former MAD, inaugurated on Avenue de Villamont in 1967 under the direction of its first curator, Pierre Pauli. The Toms Pauli Foundation, meanwhile, descends from the CITAM, founded in Lausanne in 1961 with Jean Lurçat as its first president and Pierre Pauli as its first secretary general. Displayed both at the MAD and at the Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts in Lausanne, which hosted the International Tapestry Biennial until 1992, this medium was recognised as a vital artistic form, one capable of visionary experimentation and global renewal.

It is therefore no coincidence that, now reunited under the same roof at Plateforme 10, mudac and the Toms Pauli Foundation are once again intertwining the threads of their histories through an exhibition that focuses on tapestry across time.

Often viewed as decorative art, tapestry has shown remarkable longevity, remaining relevant today as a means of political and social expression. Across the centuries, tapestry has reflected societal concerns and the ambitions of rulers. Historically, elite patrons commissioned these works to adorn palaces, castles and churches. Rich in symbolism, they were as much statements of power as they were ornamental.

A striking example is the famed Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidered work from the 11th century, which recounts the Norman conquest of England in 1066. More than a historical document, it serves as political propaganda in favour of William the Conqueror. Tapestry thus offers a unique window into the worldviews, conflicts and power dynamics of the past – a visual archive of ancient and modern ideologies.

Today, a number of artists have adopted tapestry as a means of criticising social and political values. Contemporary works often address civil rights, feminism, social justice and global conflict. These pieces serve as collective or personal testi- monies of political struggles, anchoring such narratives in the public consciousness while also questioning and confronting them. The exploration of political engagement through tapestry reveals how this traditional art form, often regarded as merely decorative, can in fact serve as a powerful tool for political communi- cation and documentation.

From the propaganda of medieval elites to the critical staging of contemporary artists, tapestry has long played a significant role in expressing engaged political ideas. Its enduring relevance as a medium for social and political messaging lies in its unique ability to bridge tradition and modernity. Today’s artists continue to reinvent the form, drawing on its rich heritage and narrative potential to tackle urgent and complex issues. Far from fading into obscurity, the art of tapestry asserts itself as a space for dialogue and reflection, a medium that remains strikingly pertinent in our contemporary world.

For the last fifteen years, tapestry is enjoying a remarkable revival thanks to contemporary artists who use the medium to reflect on pressing current issues. The works of Goshka Macuga and Grayson Perry are emblematic of this renewed relevance. Their tapestry series – Of what is, that it is; of what is not, that it is not by the Polish artist and The Vanity of Small Differences by the British artist – offer sharp critiques of consumer culture, globalisation and the representations of political, societal and cultural power structures. While they draw on traditional tapestry making techniques, the looms used are now digitally programmed and automated by skilled technicians. This fusion of craft and technology enables Macuga and Perry to create works deeply rooted in the present, proving that tapestry can be every bit as incisive and relevant as any other form of contemporary art. Alongside the works of Macuga and Perry, a selection of tapestries from Flanders, woven between 1660 and 1725 in Brussels’ leading workshops, illustrate the major themes of the history of tapestry: The Story of Scipio Africanus, The Emperors Titus and Vespasian and The Art of War. These historic pieces, held by the Toms Pauli Foundation, depict legendary and mythical battles from Roman antiquity and the age of Louis XIV. Remarkable for their composition, the finesse of their weaving and their monumental scale, the Toms tapestries on display provide a striking introduction to the rich world of historic tapestry – a legacy to which the politically engaged works of Macuga and Perry respond with insight and intensity.

Two tapestries from the Toms Pauli collection are being shown to the public for the first time. To accompany this, Goshka Macuga also unveiled a newly commissioned tapestry inspired by her many interpretations of this unique ensemble, housed in Lausanne.

Born in Warsaw in 1967, Goshka Macuga has lived and worked in London since 1989. Her practice blends historical research and archival exploration across installations, sculpture, tapestry and collage. Acting simultaneously as artist, curator, historian and scenographer, Macuga interrogates political systems, historiography and key issues of our time.

Since 2009, she has commissioned monumental tapestries – some measuring up to 17 metres wide and over five metres high – that transpose her ideas into sprawling compositions resembling mind maps, presentations and panoramic scenes. Drawing on the historical tradition of tapestry as a portable textile often bearing political messages, Macuga uses the medium to interrogate representation itself. She incorporates spatial design and 3D effects directly into the weave, inviting viewers, equipped with special glasses, not just to observe the narrative but to step inside it, becoming active participants in the unfolding story.

Goshka Macuga’s fascination with tapestry lies in its deep political resonance: “The creation, decoration and social function of textiles reflect the evolution of humanity, and these objects can convey a political message, even without activist intent.”

Through a curatorial approach, Macuga explores narratives, archives and modes of transmission, transforming the exhibition space into a site of confrontation between memory, ideology and history. Her research gives rise to woven compositions such as Of what is, that it is; of what is not, that it is not (2012) and Death of Marxism, Women of All Lands Unite (2013), works that layer multiple temporalities and political tensions.

With From Gondwana to Endangered, Who is the Devil Now? (2020), the artist expands her exploration of woven space through the use of 3D depth effects. Depicting a burning forest animated by anthropomorphic protesters, the piece powerfully evokes contemporary ecological disasters, while the presence of costumed animals recalls 19th-century satire and today’s subcultural forms of political expression.

For Times in Tapestry, Macuga envisions a woven tableau of an impending apo- calypse, a time suspended between nuclear threat and vengeful tsunami. Entitled Ark of No – a play on “Noah’s Ark” and a defiant “no” – the tapestry serves as both a statement and a warning, a universal declaration in the face of today’s global socio political upheavals.

Grayson Perry is one of the great chroniclers of contemporary life, who moves us with his feelings or emotions. Across his practice, Perry tackles universally human themes: identity, gender, class, sexuality, religion. His autobiographical references – childhood, family, cross-dressing – intersect with wider reflections on taste, social mobility, the decorative arts and the role of the artist versus the artisan. Working in traditional disciplines including ceramics, cast iron, bronze, printmaking and tapestry, Perry explores how each medium carries its own emotional and intellectual weight.

Perry’s tapestries draw inspiration from a form of art traditionally associated with the upper echelons of society – depictions of classical myths, historical and religious scenes and epic battles – and playfully subvert it by using this age-old allegorical medium to elevate the everyday dramas of modern British life. Politics, consumerism, history and art history are all woven into his work, both in subject matter and medium. Yet for Perry, emotional investment – creating works about things that truly matter – is paramount. As he puts it: “It’s the emotional charge that draws me to a subject.”

Grayson Perry’s work revolves largely around themes drawn from his own life, which he transforms into richly layered narratives. Coming from a modest background, Perry dissects with sharp wit and empathy the attitudes, tastes and values that define Britain’s social classes. In his celebrated tapestry series The Vanity of Small Differences (2012), he portrays, through humour, satire and genuine compassion, the contradictions, tensions and snobberies accompanying the social ascent of his fictional protagonist, Tim Rakewell.

By embracing craft-based media such as pottery and weaving, traditionally linked to popular culture, Perry reaches a wide audience. His choice of tapestry is deliberate: he not only embraces its technical demands but also reclaims a medium historically associated with feminine labour and often undervalued compared to painting or sculpture.

For Perry, tapestry serves as a social stage where class dynamics and reflections play out without hierarchy, infused with cultural markers – from fashion and furniture to architecture. Far from being mere narrative illustrations, his woven compositions emerge as works both political and philosophical, interlacing the personal with the collective, the beautiful with the mundane, and the heights of aspiration with the inevitability of decline.

The Toms Collection is one of the most significant privately assembled collections of historic tapestry from the second half of the 20th century. Bequeathed to the State of Vaud by Mary Toms in 1993, it comprises over one hundred wall tapestries and decorative pieces from major European workshops, dating from the early 16th to the late 19th centuries.

After amassing a fortune in real estate, British developer Reginald Toms (1892– 1978) and his wife Mary (1901–1993) settled at Château de Coinsins in French- speaking Switzerland in 1958, where they discovered a passion for historic textiles. During the 1960s, they acquired over a hundred works, including furniture, carpets, embroidery.

More than fifty tapestries in the collection originate from the leading workshops of Flanders, particularly from the 17th to the 18th centuries. The gold- and silver threaded masterpieces on show are drawn from the original Toms collection and later acquisitions by the Toms Pauli Foundation, established in 2000. Known for its geographical, chronological and thematic breadth, as well as its outstanding state of preservation, this collection, owned by the State, has been exhibited in venues such as Payerne Abbey, the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the MCBA in Lausanne, the Palacio Real in Madrid, the Cité de la Tapisserie in Aubusson and Musée Rath in Geneva. It now takes pride of place at mudac for this landmark exhibition.

While the name Mary Toms (1901–1993) is now recognised worldwide thanks to the prestigious collection of historic tapestries she bequeathed in 1993 to the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland, the life of the donor herself remains largely private. Trained as a secretary, Mary Alice Winterton married Reginald Toms (1892– 1978) in 1933. Reginald had achieved considerable success in finance and real estate, allowing the couple to live an international life between Britain, South Africa, Monte Carlo and Ireland, before finally settling in French-speaking Switzerland in 1958, where they acquired the Château de Coinsins.

In the short span of just ten years (1959–1969), Mary and Reginald Toms assembled, through purchases on the London art market, one of the world’s largest private collections of tapestries from the 16th to the 19th centuries, outside royal or aristocratic holdings.

Until Reginald’s death in 1978, the couple kept their collection relatively private. Yet they were fully aware of its exceptional nature and were concerned with ensuring its preservation. In 1990, Mary Toms drew up a will bequeathing to the Canton of Vaud the Château de Coinsins, its furnishings, art collections and the surrounding vineyard. Upon accepting this legacy, the State undertook to preserve and promote the remarkable collection of tapestries that Mary and Reginald Toms had so passionately assembled during the 1960s.

Based in Lausanne since its founding in 2000, the Toms Pauli Foundation is an active institution on both Swiss and international stages. Its core mission is to research, preserve and promote collections of historic and 20th-century textile art owned by the State of Vaud.

The Foundation’s heritage consists of a significant collection of European tapestries and embroidery dating from the 16th to the 19th century, bequeathed by Mary Toms in 1993, as well as textile artworks from 1954 to 2011 that are emblematic of the Nouvelle Tapisserie movement.

Lacking its own exhibition space to showcase its exceptional holdings, the Foundation regularly presented its collections abroad. Since 2020, the Toms Pauli Foundation has been based at Plateforme 10. Its offices, collections and specialised library are housed within the building of the MCBA.

The public can discover the Foundation’s historic and contemporary collections through temporary exhibitions held at Plateforme 10 – such as the major 2023 exhibition Magdalena Abakanowicz: Textile Territories, organised in collaboration with Tate – and in other venues in Switzerland and beyond. At the end of 2025, another piece from the Titus and Vespasian series will go on display at the MCBA as a follow-up to the Tisser son temps exhibition.

As the successor to the Centre International de la Tapisserie Ancienne et Moderne (CITAM), the organisation behind the Lausanne Tapestry Biennials from 1962 to 1995, the Foundation also maintains artist archives from these historic events and regularly hosts researchers from around the world.