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Collection by Heather Corcoran

Would You Buy These Bold Art Rugs for Your Living Room?

There's a long history of artists creating tapestries, textiles, and rugs. But what happens when contemporary artists put their twists on the medium?

Since 1999, Sweden's Henzel Studio has created luxe rugs in fine silk and New Zealand wool by combining traditional Nepalese weaving techniques with technological breakthroughs. Now, the GoodWeave-certified company is reviving the concept of the art rug—a medium utilized by the likes of Louise Bourgeois, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso—with a series of new, freeform creations based on the work of leading contemporary artists. The rugs are on display through August 18 in the exhibition Henzel Studio: Collaborations / Heritage at the Austere showroom in Downtown Los Angeles. From the artfully unexpected to the totally out-there, check out some of our favorites here.

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Marilyn Minter reinterpreted her photograph Cracked Glass by combining variable pile heights to create three-dimensional cracks and raised water droplets, which are enhanced by silk with contrasting sheen.
Marilyn Minter reinterpreted her photograph Cracked Glass by combining variable pile heights to create three-dimensional cracks and raised water droplets, which are enhanced by silk with contrasting sheen.
An icon of the Manchester music scene, Linder reinterpreted his signature collage style in this design, with its bright-red lips that seem pasted on a black-and-white background.
An icon of the Manchester music scene, Linder reinterpreted his signature collage style in this design, with its bright-red lips that seem pasted on a black-and-white background.
Rugs by Anselm Reyle recall his folded-foil series. Silk thread adds shine and highlights that mimic the reflective sculptural surface.
Rugs by Anselm Reyle recall his folded-foil series. Silk thread adds shine and highlights that mimic the reflective sculptural surface.
Defacing money to subvert its value is at the core of much of the work of tattoo-artist-turned-fine-artist Scott Campbell, as in this rug with raised doodles "drawn" on a dollar bill.
Defacing money to subvert its value is at the core of much of the work of tattoo-artist-turned-fine-artist Scott Campbell, as in this rug with raised doodles "drawn" on a dollar bill.
Richard Phillips's art explores the contemporary obsession with celebrity, and the voyeuristic culture surrounding it, as in this knotted interpretation of his painting Lip Biter, which depicts a Britney Spears-like blonde.
Richard Phillips's art explores the contemporary obsession with celebrity, and the voyeuristic culture surrounding it, as in this knotted interpretation of his painting Lip Biter, which depicts a Britney Spears-like blonde.
Richard Prince transforms his career-long obsession with appropriation into a freeform rug that riffs on collage, using numbers pulled from athletic jerseys.
Richard Prince transforms his career-long obsession with appropriation into a freeform rug that riffs on collage, using numbers pulled from athletic jerseys.
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