Bernard Quentin Le Passage du Temps Hand Tufted Wool Art Tapestry France 1998
This monumental 170 × 248 cm interpretation of Le Passage du Temps (The Passage of Time) by Bernard Quentin (1923–2020), one of the key figures of post-war French semiotic and scriptural art.
The piece was manufactured by the Swiss textile atelier TISCA, renowned for its collaborations with artists, architects, and cultural institutions. Rather than producing decorative rugs, TISCA specialized in architectural and art textiles, making this work a true hybrid between fine art and spatial installation.
Concept and Composition
The surface is animated by repeatedly fragmented inscriptions of “LE PASSAGE DU TEMPS” rendered in grey and black tones, evoking the instability, erosion, and irreversibility of time. A bold, expressive red gesture cuts across the composition, acting as a visual rupture — a recurring motif in Quentin’s work symbolizing urgency, interruption, and temporal fracture.
Text, for Quentin, is never meant to be read conventionally but experienced visually and physically, transforming language into texture, rhythm, and movement.
The artwork is signed directly on the textile by Bernard Quentin, with the notation “98 3/8”, indicating:
Year: 1998
Edition: 3 of a very small edition of 8
The reverse bears the original TISCA manufacturer’s label, including design reference and dimensions, confirming authorized production and provenance.
Textile works occupy a highly uncommon position within Bernard Quentin’s oeuvre, which is primarily composed of paintings, bronzes, and reliefs. Art textiles of this scale and conceptual clarity are exceptionally rare and are best understood as monumental wall pieces rather than design objects.
Bernard Quentin (1923–2020) was a singular figure of the French postwar avant-garde, whose work consistently explored the relationship between signs, writing, and visual language. His practice bridged painting, sculpture, and installation, and is often described as semiotic or cybernetic art, reflecting his forward-looking approach to communication and perception. Active within the intellectual milieu of postwar Paris, Quentin maintained close connections with leading thinkers and artists of his time, and was notably praised by Salvador Dalí, who regarded him as a pioneer of cybernetic and future-oriented artistic thinking.
Quentin’s works entered major international institutional collections, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York—an acknowledgment that places his oeuvre among the most respected of his generation. Although he was not defined by major prize awards in the conventional sense, his reputation was firmly established through museum retrospectives, such as his exhibition at the Musée de la Poste in Paris, and through a sustained presence on the international art market. His works are particularly sought after by collectors of conceptual, avant-garde, and design-driven art, valued for their intellectual depth, strong visual identity, and enduring contemporary relevance.
