Dream Weaver of the Andes

Legend has it that the king of the Muisca people, ancient inhabitants of the Colombian cordillera, waded regally into Lake Guatavita, his flesh smeared with gold dust. Spun into fine threads, the yellow metal that gave its name to El Dorado now confers the luminous shimmer of legend to the creations of an unrivaled weaver, an Andean Arachne: Olga de Amaral. Born in Bogotá nine decades ago, and long acknowledged as one of South America’s most significant artists, she has updated and upgraded the ancient art of the tapestry, with her vast colorful compositions crafted from intertwined plant fibers, scales, and flecks of light, guided by her love of color and an imagination powerful enough to combine sculpture, geometry, poetry, and music.