Neda Al-Hilali

Neda Al-Hilali
Al-Hilali at "Sculpture in Fiber" exhibition, 1972
Born26 November 1938
Cheb, Czechoslovakia
Died13 September 2025(2025-09-13) (aged 86)
Mexico[1]
EducationUniversity of California, Los Angeles[2]
Known forFiber art

Neda Al-Hilali (26 November 1938 – 13 September 2025) was an American fiber artist. Her art was described by The Los Angeles Times as "turn[ing] traditional fiber crafts inside out."[3]

Biography

Al-Hilali, née Walburga Luise Hedwig Marianne Boehm, was born in Cheb, Czechoslovakia. Throughout her life, she lived in Bavaria, Germany and Baghdad, Iraq,[4] before settling in Los Angeles, California in 1962. She trained as an artist in Europe, and extensively at the University of California, Los Angeles.[5]

Her early works in the 1960s consisted of flat weavings and knotted hangings. These were followed by large, room-filling installations and a series of outdoor installations including giant brown-paper "Tongues" installed on Venice beach.[5][6]

Al-Hilali described her work as "foot tracks of prolonged attention and energy," as each required many hours of intensive handiwork.[4][5]

Her work is part of the collections of various museums, including the Renwick Gallery,[7] Museum of Arts and Design,[8] Utah Museum of Fine Arts,[9] and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Her papers are kept by the Archives of American Art.[10]

Al-Hilali died on 13 September 2025, at the age of 86.[11]

Exhibitions

  • 1971-72 Deliberate Entanglements: An Exhibition of Fabric Forms, UCLA Art Galleries[6]
  • 1985 Neda Alhilali: selected works, 1968-1985, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery at Barnsdall Park
  • 1985, Fiberworks: an invitational exhibit of contemporary fiberworks, University of Texas at El Paso Department of Art
  • 1985 Artists Select Artists, Modern Master Tapestries.[12]
  • 1986 Legends in fiber, Octagon Center for the Arts, Ames, Iowa
  • 1988 Current works in fiber, Georgia State University Art Gallery[13]
  • 2024–2025 Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women, Smithsonian American Art Museum

References

  1. ^ "Neda Alhilali Obituary". Legacy.com. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  2. ^ "Neda Al-Hilali". Browngrotta. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  3. ^ Muchnic, Suzanne (2 May 1985). "Art Review: Alhilali is elevating fiber art". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  4. ^ a b Kieffer, Susan Mowery, ed. (2004). Fiberarts design book (1st ed.). New York: Lark Books. pp. 2–3, 11. ISBN 1579905218. OCLC 53178302.
  5. ^ a b c Muchnic, Suzanne (2 May 1985). "Art Review : Alhilali Is Elevating Fiber Art". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Rope Art: A New Form Fit to Be Tied". LIFE magazine. 1 December 1972. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  7. ^ "Granadias, 1984". Search Collections. Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  8. ^ "Amazi, 1984". Museum of Arts and Design. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Neda Al Hilali". Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Neda Al-Hilali papers, 1960-1995". Archives of American Art. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  11. ^ "Neda Alhilali Obituary (2025) - Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  12. ^ Betty Freudenheim (24 October 1985). "Intergenerational Fiber Arts Show". The New York Times.
  13. ^ Cook, Lia; Itter, Diane; Knodel, Gerhardt; Seelig, Warren; Spear, Shikego; Al-Hilali, Neda; Bassler, James W (1988). Current works in fiber: Neda Al-Hilali ... [et al. Atlanta, Ga.: Georgia State University Art Gallery. OCLC 48472494.
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