TKF/ICOC Tour Preview Vienna – Budapest

September 9, 2014

From 15 – 21 September 2014 the TKF/ICOC Tour takes place in Austria and Hungary, organised by the Austrian Society for Textile-Art-Research-TKF, in conjunction with the International Conference on Carpets (ICOC). The educational event is designed to be a meeting place for international experts and enthusiasts to exchange ideas about Oriental carpets and textiles. Supporting the ICOC’s dedication to ‘advancing the understanding and appreciation of carpet and related textile arts’, an entertaining programme of specialist exhibitions, auctions and lectures is scheduled.

The Novomatic Forum is the hub of the activity in Vienna. Two exhibitions will be staged there. Classic Carpets from Private Collections by TKF, 15 – 17 September will feature around 30 carpets and fragments of the 15th – 18th century, from the collections of its members. Fine Antique Oriental Rugs by Udo Langauer of the Austria Auction Company will display lots from the auction to be held at the venue at 2pm on 16 September. Over half of the pieces are from the Marschall Collection, which is being exhibited publicly for the first time having spent the past 40 years in storage. Viewing will be possible 13 – 15 September.

Other exhibitions and collections in Vienna that tour participants will have the opportunity to be guided around include: Armenian Rugs at Palais Sans Souci, Inspiration Textil: Tribal Art im Dialog mit zeitgenössischer Textilkunst at Kuenstlerhaus, The Ikat Project at the University of Applied Art, the newly installed carpet galleries at the MAK, the Hallstatt Textiles at the Natural History Museum, the textile collection of the Papyrus Museum, and the collection of the Ethnographic Museum. In addition, there will be an exhibition of ‘Fine Antique Rugs’ at Kossl open everyday 10am-6pm, 11 – 20 September. While UK dealers James Cohen, Aaron Nejad and Owen Parry are putting on a one-day show of antique rugs, trappings and textiles 9am – 6pm, 15 September (and the following day by appointment) at Safran & Cie.

Lot 154 of the Austria Auction Company sale, Star Ushak carpet, Turkey circa 1600 Estimate: € 90,000 – 110,000

An evening lecture series will welcome Alberto Boralevi, Simone Jansen, Michael Franses and Markus Ritter, who over two nights will speak on such topics as; Classical Ottoman carpets, historical carpet research, the origins of the Poldi Pezzoli hunting carpet, and Arabic inscribed luxury textiles in late medieval Europe.

Following three days in Vienna the tour will move into Hungary, visiting the Kereszteny Museum (Christian Museum) at Esztergom where the Director Ms. Ildico Kontsek will present the classical carpets from the collection of the former Archbishop Ipolyi, before continuing on to Budapest. Here, the group will spend a day looking at Islamic art and carpets at the Museum of Applied Art and will also have chance to take in the sights of the Kiraly Thermal Spa, Gül Baba Türbe pilgrimage site and the Hungarian National Gallery.