Aubusson Weaves Tolkien
21st March, 2025 to 18th May, 2025
Collège des Bernardins
20 rue de Poissy, 75005 Paris
Free entrance
This spring, the Collège des Bernardins marks the seventieth anniversary of The Lord of the Rings with a tribute to J.R.R. Tolkien’s visual artistry. From March 21 to May 18, 2025, the exhibition Aubusson Weaves Tolkien—presented by the Cité Internationale de la Tapisserie—unveils an unprecedented dialogue between literary imagination and textile mastery.
© 2018 D’après une illustration de J.R.R. Tolkien
© The Tolkien Estate Ltd.
For the first time, these remarkable tapestries, crafted over seven years by Aubusson’s renowned workshops, will step beyond their home at the Cité Internationale de la Tapisserie to find a temporary residence at the historic Parisian institution. Fifteen tapestries, drawn directly from Tolkien’s original illustrations, will animate the Collège’s soaring nave, former sacristy, and 18th-century staircase, enveloping visitors in Middle-earth’s visual splendour.
© The Tolkien Estate Limited 1937 tapisserie tissage Atelier 2 Aubusson 2022 Collection Cité internationale de la tapisserie Studio
Adding depth to this celebration, private collections lend rare memorabilia, illuminating Tolkien’s intersection of faith and fantasy. The exhibition’s curators have also designed a indepth program of artistic and academic events, exploring the spiritual dimensions that underpin Tolkien’s narratives.
Though known primarily as a philologist and author, Tolkien’s creative universe extended beyond words. His artwork maps teeming with calligraphic detail, sketches conjured from life, and illustrations for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings—was integral to his storytelling. Tolkien’s imagery, as intricate as his prose, grounded his mythical landscapes in tactile reality by combining pictorial and linguistic elements to create striking effects.
Posthumously, his work has emerged from the margins, gaining recognition for its significance alongside his literary achievements. At the Collège des Bernardins, the Aubusson Weaves Tolkien exhibition underscores Tolkien’s dual legacy, inviting audiences to reimagine Middle-earth through the threads of one of France’s most celebrated artistic traditions.
Aubusson Weaves Tolkien opens on the 21st of March, 2025 until the 18th of May, 2025 at Collège des Bernardins, Paris
©2025 Collège des Bernardins
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