Tapestries: the very word conjures up the past−grand, remote, rather faded. Although the art of tapestry weaving is ancient, a number of present-day practitioners are proving that the results can still be new and fresh. France's famous tapestry factories, which date back to the 17th century, today keep a corps of weavers busy turning out bold, flat, colorfully stylized designs by Matisse, Vasarely and Jean Lurςat.
An important designer at the Aubusson factory is Hungarian-born Mathieu Mategot, 60, whose abstract yet evocative works are now on exhibit at San Francisco's M.H. De Young Memorial...