Sheila Hicks (b. 1934, Hastings, Nebraska) studied at Yale School of Art with painter Josef Albers and art historian George Kubler. She received a Fulbright scholarship in 1957-58 to paint in Chile which enabled her to travel through twelve countries in South America where she documented archeological sites and indigenous craftsmen. Pre-Columbian weaving techniques influenced her to explore fiber as an artistic medium. Completing her master’s degree in painting at Yale in1959 she worked in rural Mexico until 1964. She then moved to Paris where she continues to work today. Widely exhibited internationally her practice has been informed by global textile traditions and pioneering creations in sculpture and installation art. Hicks was awarded the title of Chevalier by the Legion d’Honneur in 2023 and received an Honorary Doctorate from Yale University in 2019. She has two artworks—Lares and Penates, 1990-2013, and After the Rain, 2013—on permanent display in the U.S Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan
