Soft Power in Fiber: Polish Textile Art, Institutional Networks, and Cultural Diplomacy at the Lausanne Biennale during the Cold War

• In Event: Transnational and Trans-Ideological Connections: Cultural Relations between the Communist Regimes in Eastern Europe and the Capitalist West II

Abstract

The Polish School of Textile Art emerged as one of the most internationally recognised artistic movements of the Polish People's Republic, playing a significant role in cultural diplomacy. Its contributions to the medium gained prominence through participation in the International Tapestry Biennale in Lausanne (1962–1995), revolutionising fibre art in the early 1960s. Historians often overlooked tapestry due to biases in the art/craft hierarchy, associating it with women’s work. This marginalisation included artistic, economic factors, and cultural diplomacy, as textile art was neglected in Cold War cultural exchange discussions. Poland’s participation in the 1962 Biennale was made possible through state support despite the country’s ongoing postwar economic difficulties. The government purchased the works via the Central Museum of Textiles even before they were created, ensuring Poland’s representation at the event. Over the years, Polish participation continued to receive financial backing, raising questions: Why did the state choose to invest in such a medium? Was this decision rooted in ideology linking tapestry to folk traditions, or was it motivated by other factors? Was it the perceived accessibility of the medium to the general public? Poland’s engagement in Lausanne fostered transnational networks among artists and collectors, museum professionals, and gallerists. These relationships extended into formal and informal cultural exchanges—for instance, Pierre Pauli, one of the Biennale’s organisers, later became a consultant for the Polish auction house DESA in the textile art field. More significantly, Lausanne’s neutral status as a Cold War transnational space facilitated the formation of artistic networks operating beyond ideological divides, strengthening connections between Poland and Western cultural institutions. These interactions influenced later institutional developments, such as the Triennale of Tapestry in Łódź, and contributed to the long-term circulation of Polish textile art in international markets and exhibitions. This paper examines state support for medium and the complex ties between Poland and Switzerland, arguing that Lausanne was a key site of artistic diplomacy, allowing Polish textile artists to connect with the Western art world, and served as a transnational space for cultural exchange during the Cold War. The research relies on unpublished archival materials from the Toms Pauli Archive, Lausanne City Archive, Polish Foreign Ministry Archive, Polish Ministry of Culture Archive, private artist archives, and interviews, providing new insights into the institutional mechanisms shaping cultural exchanges.

Author

• Sandra Katarzyna Imko, John Paul II Catholic U of Lublin (Poland) / U of Lausanne (Switzerland)