Symphony

Jan Yoors was born in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1922.  Following an adventurous adolescence and a period of imprisonment by the Nazis during World War II, he arrived in London in 1944, where he studied at London University and at the School of Oriental Studies.  Yoors moved to New York in 1950 and established a studio there with two full-time weavers: Annabert Yoors (née Van Wettum) and Marianne Yoors (née Citroen), his first and second wives, respectively.  Yoors continued to live and work in New York until his death in 1977.  He also pursued filmmaking, photography and sculpture, although he is most well-known for his large, boldly geometric tapestries, the vibrant colors and stark black backgrounds of which were influenced in part by the stained glass art of his father Eugene.

Just before Symphony was installed, Yoors composed a statement about his work that began, “Tapestry is by definition a mural art and as such can, and must, be the epic scale and heroic dimensions…” and concluded, “I see contemporary tapestry as a way to give human, that is lyrical, scale to massive corporate architectural environments…to widen horizons and heighten the awareness of human vitality, dignity and of the inherent joy of life.”