William Russell Pickering
The American Pasha
Pickering is a gentleman of the old school, a great man, and a person I like. We were once friends but rarely see each other anymore; Russ is far too respectable for me nowadays. Pickering is the author of important and highly influential rug books. He was a protégé of the legendary Joseph V. “Joe” McMullan. Russell donated the Pickering Garden Carpet which is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hajji Baba Club, International Hajji Baba. He is also a former trustee of the Textile Museum, founding member of the New York Rug Society, Chairman of the Near Eastern Art Research Center, and member of the Metropolitan Club Washington, DC, and the Chevy Chase Country Club, Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Programs, Exhibitions, and Publications, Sponsored all or in part by THE NEAR EASTERN ART RESEARCH CENTER under the chairmanship of Warren Russell Pickering
- Divine Images and Magic Carpets. The Asian Art Collection of Dr. and Mrs. William T. Price, The Amarillo Art Center, 1987.
- Exhibition of The Art of Morocco, Baruch College, 1987.
- Exhibition of Carpets from the Harold M. Keshishian Collection, Sweet Briar Collection, 1988.
- A Study of The Carpets of Turkey, 1990
- Threads of Time: Wedding Textiles in Fez. Morocco, Louise W. Mackie, et.al.,1990.
- Exhibition of the Weavings of Saudi Arabia, John M. Topham, The Texas Memorial Museum, Austin Texas, 1991.
- Exhibition of Moroccan Weavings, The Frank H. McClung Museum, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1992.
- Exhibition of Caucasian Carpets, The Norton Museum and School of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida, 1992.
- Oriental Rugs from the Collection of W. Parsons Todd, Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, Morristown, New Jersey, 1992.
- Exhibition of Islamic Carpets from Mid-Western Collections, Chicago Rug Society, for Chicago, Illinois, 1994.
- American Conference on Oriental Rugs, Chicago, Illinois, February, l994.
- Catalogue for Exhibition of Turkmen Carpets and Jewelry, Bruce Museum, Greenwich, Connecticut, May 1994.
- Exhibition of Moroccan Jewish Crafts, B’nai B’rith National Jewish Museum, Washington, D.C., September 1994.
- Study Grant: Symmetry Analysis of Pattern Design in Moroccan Flatwoven Textiles, P. Lynn Denton, Texas Memorial Museum, University of Texas, 1995.
- “Tales of the Eye. Touches of The Soul”, Exhibition of Moroccan Textiles and Photographs, Meridian International Center, Washington, D.C., June 1996.
Russell Pickering, Chairman of the Near Eastern Art Research Center Inc., Washington, presents the Joseph V. McMullen Award for Scholarship and Stewardship in Islamic Textiles to Dennis Dodds, President of the Organizing Committee of the Philadelphia Eighth International Conference on Oriental Carpets, Inc.
Contributer to a Major New Book: The Fabric of Moroccan Life
Edited by Niloo Imami Paydar and Ivo Grammet
For centuries, the people of Morocco have been producing magnificent embroideries, pile rugs, and flatweaves. The Fabric of Moroccan Life showcases rare embroideries, hangings, and rugs that reflect the broad range of traditions and cultural influences active in Morocco during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. The book explores the artistic importance of these superb weavings as well as their central role in Moroccan culture.
Approximately 150 pieces — and numerous details — are illustrated in color, and additional photographs (including many that were taken in the 1930s) show how they were once used in everyday life in Morocco. The book includes essays on Moroccan embroidery and its origins, traditional costumes of the cities and rural areas, the weavings of the Berbers and other ethnic groups, and the distinctive characteristics of items made by particular ethnic sub-groups. The contributing writers are eminent scholars and experts in a variety of fields, including Moroccan history and culture; Moroccan rugs, textiles, and clothing; and natural dyes. A wealth of information is included that has never before been available in one volume.
Niloo Imami Paydar is curator of textiles and costumes at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Ivo Grammet is coordinator of a new museum in Nador, northern Morocco. The contributors include GÈrard BoÎly, Gebhard Blazek, Katherine Dolk-Ellis, Narjys El Alaoui, Mustapha Hansali, Annette Korolnik-Andersch, Marcel Korolnik, Zineb Lehmam, Russell Pickering, Ahmed Skounti, Frieda Sorber, Wilfried Stanzer, and Marie-France Vivier.