Antique Carpets From the Nazmiyal Collection Featured in Paul Thek: Diver, A Retrospective
Antique carpets from the Nazmiyal Collection were selected for display in Paul Thek: Diver, A Retrospective, a landmark exhibition presented at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
The exhibition was on view at the Whitney from October 21, 2010, through January 9, 2011. The Whitney’s official exhibition record acknowledges the contribution with the credit:
“Antique Carpets courtesy of the Nazmiyal Collection, New York.”
The placement of the carpets helped create an immersive environment for the work of Paul Thek, an influential American artist known for combining sculpture, painting, installation, theater, religion and ephemeral materials.
This museum collaboration reflects Nazmiyal’s longstanding role as a resource for historically significant antique rugs, carpets and textiles.
Reviewed by Jason Nazmiyal, Founder of the Nazmiyal Collection
Exhibition Details
Exhibition: Paul Thek: Diver, A Retrospective
Institution: Whitney Museum of American Art
Location: New York City
Whitney exhibition dates: October 21, 2010–January 9, 2011
Artist: Paul Thek
Nazmiyal’s involvement: Antique carpets provided for the exhibition installation
Official credit: Antique Carpets courtesy of the Nazmiyal Collection, New York
Organizing institutions: Whitney Museum of American Art and Carnegie Museum of Art
How Nazmiyal’s Antique Carpets Were Used in the Exhibition
The antique carpets provided by the Nazmiyal Collection were incorporated into the exhibition environment surrounding Thek’s work.
Rather than functioning simply as decorative floor coverings, the carpets contributed color, texture, history and visual warmth to the installation. Their presence complemented Thek’s interest in immersive spaces and in the relationships among art, ritual, material and human experience.
The collaboration demonstrates how antique rugs can contribute meaningfully to the presentation of modern and contemporary art. Within a museum installation, a historic carpet can help define the atmosphere of a room, connect objects visually and provide a material counterpoint to paintings, sculptures and conceptual works.
About Paul Thek: Diver, A Retrospective
Paul Thek: Diver, A Retrospective was the first major retrospective in the United States devoted to Paul Thek.
Born in Brooklyn in 1933, Thek became one of the most distinctive artists to emerge from the New York art world of the 1960s. He worked across painting, sculpture and installation and was among the early artists to create room-sized artistic environments.
Thek first received widespread attention for his sculptural works known as the “Technological Reliquaries.” These works included realistic representations of flesh made with materials such as wax and latex and presented inside Plexiglas cases.
After relocating to Europe in the late 1960s, Thek increasingly created temporary, collaborative installations incorporating elements of theater, literature, spirituality and everyday life. Many of these environments were made from fragile or perishable materials, reinforcing his interest in impermanence and transformation.
The retrospective brought together sculptures, paintings, drawings, documentary materials and works that had rarely or never been exhibited in the United States.
A Landmark American Museum Exhibition
The retrospective was organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh.
At the Whitney, it was presented from October 21, 2010, through January 9, 2011. The exhibition subsequently traveled to the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.
The exhibition was co-organized by Elisabeth Sussman of the Whitney Museum and Lynn Zelevansky of the Carnegie Museum of Art.
By bringing together works from throughout Thek’s career, the exhibition introduced his work to a broader American audience and documented his continuing influence on contemporary installation art.
Antique Rugs as Part of Museum Exhibition Design
Historic carpets and textiles can play an important curatorial role in museum exhibitions.
Depending on the exhibition, rugs may be used to:
- Create a more immersive gallery environment
- Establish visual relationships between artworks
- Add historical and cultural context
- Introduce texture and warmth into an installation
- Support an artist’s original approach to displaying work
- Reconstruct or evoke the atmosphere of an earlier installation
Selecting rugs for a museum setting requires more than finding pieces that are visually attractive. The carpets must be considered in relation to the artwork, the scale of the galleries, the exhibition narrative, conservation requirements and the overall curatorial design.
Nazmiyal’s extensive inventory and experience with antique carpets allow museums, curators and exhibition designers to evaluate pieces from many weaving traditions, periods, sizes and visual styles.
Why Museums and Curators Work With Nazmiyal
Founded by Jason Nazmiyal in 1980, the Nazmiyal Collection specializes in antique rugs, vintage carpets and historic textiles.
The collection includes examples from Persia, Turkey, the Caucasus, Central Asia, India, China, Europe, Morocco and other important weaving regions. Pieces range from decorative room-size carpets to rare and historically significant works suitable for collectors, scholars and institutions.
Museums and curators may work with Nazmiyal for:
- Antique rugs for museum exhibitions
- Historic textiles for research and display
- Short-term exhibition loans
- Carpet and textile identification
- Curatorial consultation
- Provenance and attribution research
- Exhibition installation support
- Access to rare or unusual weaving types
Nazmiyal’s participation in the Whitney Museum’s Paul Thek retrospective is one example of the collection’s broader engagement with museums, exhibitions and cultural institutions.
Nazmiyal’s Commitment to Rugs as Works of Art
Nazmiyal approaches important antique rugs as artistic and cultural objects rather than simply furnishings.
A rug can document the materials, techniques, beliefs and visual traditions of the community that produced it. It can also interact powerfully with modern and contemporary art, as demonstrated by the placement of Nazmiyal carpets in the Paul Thek exhibition.
Through scholarship, connoisseurship, exhibitions, loans and museum collaborations, Nazmiyal seeks to expand public understanding of rugs and textiles as meaningful works of art.
Frequently Asked Questions
Were Nazmiyal rugs displayed at the Whitney Museum?
Yes. Antique carpets from the Nazmiyal Collection were featured in Paul Thek: Diver, A Retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art. The Whitney’s official exhibition record credits “Antique Carpets courtesy of the Nazmiyal Collection, New York.”
When was the Paul Thek exhibition at the Whitney Museum?
The exhibition was presented at the Whitney Museum of American Art from October 21, 2010, through January 9, 2011.
What was the name of the Paul Thek exhibition?
The exhibition was titled Paul Thek: Diver, A Retrospective.
What was Nazmiyal’s role in the exhibition?
Nazmiyal provided antique carpets that were used as part of the exhibition installation and gallery environment.
Who organized Paul Thek: Diver, A Retrospective?
The exhibition was organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh.
Did the Paul Thek retrospective travel to other museums?
Yes. After its Whitney presentation, the exhibition traveled to the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh and the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.
Does Nazmiyal work with museums and curators?
Yes. Nazmiyal works with museums, curators, scholars and exhibition designers through rug and textile loans, institutional collaborations, research and access to important antique carpets and textiles.
Can museums inquire about borrowing rugs from Nazmiyal?
Museums, curators and qualified cultural institutions may contact Nazmiyal to discuss potential loans, exhibition requirements and access to relevant rugs or textiles.
Explore Nazmiyal’s Museum Collaborations
The Whitney Museum collaboration forms part of Nazmiyal’s history of working with cultural institutions and supporting the presentation and study of important art, rugs and textiles.
Explore more of Nazmiyal’s museum loans, gifts, exhibitions and institutional collaborations through our Museum Collaborations page.
Contact Nazmiyal
For museum loans, curatorial research, exhibition collaborations or information about antique rugs and textiles, contact the Nazmiyal Collection in New York City.
Nazmiyal Collection
31 East 32nd Street, Second Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: 212-545-8029