Navajo Blankets

Chief Pattern Blanket, second phase, 1860 – 1870, handspun and unraveled wool, 56 x 69½ inches, William H. Claflin, Boston

Native American art has held a constant fascination for artists and collectors for over a century. The Chief Blankets woven by Navajo women combine symbolic designs to form abstract patterns. They are considered by Navajos to be their highest art form and they have influenced numerous American painters, including Georgia O’Keeffe, Jasper Johns, Frank Stella, and Kenneth Noland.

Chief Pattern Blanket, First phase, 1850 – 1860, handspun and unraveled wool, 55 x 69 inches, Anthony Berlant, Santa Monica, California

The word “blanket” fails to capture the versatility of the loom – woven, hand-dyed textiles the Navajos use as serapes, cloaks, dresses, entry drapes, and saddle blankets.
Each blanket has special meaning — one may represent a chief’s personal identity,…