Crafts to discover Thiès

Created in 1966 by President Léopold Sédar Senghor, the aim of the Thiès Tapestry Manufactures or "tapestries of Thiès" is to transpose original works by Senegalese artists selected through calls for tender into decorative artworks: weaving, ceramics, mosaics, hanging, etc. Today, only the tapestry remains. The visit of the workshop is very interesting since it explains the different stages of the realization: transposition of the canvas on a cardboard, installation on the loom, weaving, etc.. Some of these works are exhibited and on sale in a room adjoining the factory. The place is spacious, which allows the different canvases to be displayed, all very colourful, some figurative, others more abstract. The original paintings can only be reproduced eight times in the form of tapestry. They are all on sale, starting at 600,000 FCFA per square metre. The catalogue is available on site, and it is possible to place an order by paying a deposit. Even if the Beaux-Arts consider the tapestries a bit too conservative, Thiès remains a reference for all of Africa and far beyond in terms of this art. Many of these works can be found in Senegalese institutions, but also in the palaces of heads of state or in world organizations. One of the most famous, a magnificent tapestry of 24 m² representing the Magal of Touba, pavilion since late 2012 the headquarters of the United Nations.