WATTS INDEXThe canonical database of visual culture

Artists›Ed Rossbach

Ed Rossbach

American, 1914

WA-00029186

Chicago, IL, USA

TextileContemporary

Representation

None documented

Institutional Exhibitions

Works in Collection

Assets Indexed

Authority-backed Facts

Publications Referenced

90%

Profile Completeness

Cultural Positioning

Influence Graph

No influence edges encoded yet.

Authority Records (3)

WikidataQ5335346 ULAN500336544

MoMA

Selected Institutional Exhibitions

View all exhibitions →

No image

Wall Hangings: The New Classicism

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1977

No image

Wall Hangings

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1969

Field Verification (4 fields)

4 cross-verified · 0 single-source

BiographyMoMA· 93%✓
Birth yearMoMA· 93%✓
LocationMoMA· 93%✓
NationalityMoMA· 93%✓

Source Registry (1)

MoMA bulk 2026-05-04https://www.moma.org/artists/5032
Tier 1 · Institutional92%

About

Why this artist matters now

Ed Rossbach was an American fiber artist and weaver whose experiments with unconventional materials and sculptural forms fundamentally expanded the definition of textile art in the postwar period. Working primarily with paper, plant fibers, and found objects, he moved beyond traditional loom-based practice toward three-dimensional woven structures that challenged the boundary between craft and sculpture. His innovations in fiber technique and material exploration established him as a pioneering figure in contemporary textile art.

Source: Moma Bulk 2026 05 04 · Trust score: 92% · Updated 29d ago

Graph relationships

Taste overlap and adjacency

Movement

Contemporary

Medium

Textile

Related Artists

12 in graph

Institutional

Museum Collections

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Museum of Modern ArtNew York Cleveland Museum of Art Art Institute of Chicago

Canonical record

Artworks (18)

WattsOS

Happy Days

1991 · Wood, paper, watercolor, ink

13 3/4 × 10 1/2 × 5 in., 0.5 lb. (34.9 × 26.7 × 12.7 cm, 0.2 kg)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Gourd Basket

1986 · Tennessee aromatic red cedar and staples

16 x 7" (40.6 x 17.8 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

WattsOS

"Moonlight"

1983 · Ash, rice paper, ink, lacquer

17 7/8 × 6 7/8 × 6 1/2 in., 0.6 lb. (45.4 × 17.5 × 16.5 cm, 0.3 kg)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Paper Work

1974 · Newspaper and paint

15 1/2 x 2" (39.4 x 5.1 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Raffia Lace Basket

1973 · Raffia

11 1/2 x 13" (29.2 x 33 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

WattsOS

Mickey Mouse

1969 · damask weaving: linen

Overall: 35.6 x 33.7 cm (14 x 13 1/4 in.); Mounted: 43.2 x 41.9 cm (17 x 16 1/2 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Slip Cover for a Computer

1969 · Heat-bonded plastic

36 1/2 × 33 1/4 × 1" (92.7 × 84.5 × 2.5 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Construction with Newspaper and Plastic Wall Hanging

1968 · Polyethylene film, twine, and newsprint

31 × 40 × 2" (78.7 × 101.6 × 5.1 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Paper Work

1968 · Newspaper, plastic, and plastic twine

13 1/2 x 6 1/2 x 1 1/2" (34.3 x 16.5 x 3.8 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Constructed Color Wall Hanging

1965 · Synthetic raffia

57 x 71" (144.8 x 180.3 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Tapestry

1964 · Raffia

71 x 45" (180.4 x 114.3 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Bamako (Furnishing Fabric)

1960 · Linen and silk, warp printed; plain weave

214.8 × 85.7 cm (84 5/8 × 33 5/8 in.); Weft repeat: H.: 57.2 cm (22 1/2 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

WattsOS

Upholstery material

1959 · Silk and rayon; twill weave

96 1/2 × 42 3/4 in. (245.1 × 108.6 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Panel (Furnishing Fabric)

1955 · Silk, 2:2 twill weave; warp ikat dyed

267.8 × 100.5 cm (105 1/2 × 39 5/8 in.); Repeat: H.: 18.8 cm (7 3/8 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

WattsOS

Curtain or upholstery material

1952 · Cotton

10 ft. 3 in. × 34 3/4 in. (312.4 × 88.3 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

WattsOS

Textile

1952 · Linen, mohair, and viscose; gauze weave

8 ft. 11 in. × 31 1/2 in. (271.8 × 80 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Panel (Upholstery Fabric)

1952 · Linen and silk, plain weave derived float weave

266 × 98.2 cm (101 5/8 × 38 5/8 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Panel (Casement Fabric)

1946 · Linen, cotton, rayon, and cellophane yarns, bouclé yarns, and chenille yarns, plain weave

265 × 84.3 cm (104 3/8 × 33 1/4 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

View all 18 artworks →

Artwork sources (4)

18 published of 26 catalogued · 20 with image

MoMA
8 publishedof 16 catalogued16 img
The Met
5 published
Art Institute Chicago
4 published4 img
Cleveland Museum of Art
1 published

Per-Artwork Provenance Chains (top 1)

1 entries · 1 sources

Mickey Mouse
1969 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number

Record

Images

Artsy

Art Institute of Chicago

Relationships

Movements1

Contemporary

Collections4

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Museum of Modern Art Cleveland Museum of Art Art Institute of Chicago

Institutional

Representation & Collections

In collection

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

In collection

Museum of Modern Art

New York, US

In collection

Cleveland Museum of Art

In collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Record

Exhibitions and timeline

Group Exhibition Wall Hangings: The New Classicism

New York · 1977

Group Exhibition Wall Hangings

New York · 1969