It can be intimidating to walk in some galleries, especially in Paris, but that is not the case at Galerie Myrna Myers. Myrna and her husband are the friendliest gallery owners I've ever met and are happy to share their extensive knowledge about Oriental textiles, ceramics and works of art with visitors to their chic gallery in the 7th arrondisement of Paris.Myrna talked at length about the items in her gallery, describing the main differences between Chinese, Japanese and Tibetan robes and other textiles that she collects and sells. While all the textiles were incredibly beautiful, I was most interested in the Japanese kimonos. I once made a series of miniature kimonos and I've been reluctant to display or sell them because I did not understand the symbolism inherent in their decoration. Myrna assured me that almost every type of object was portrayed on fabric used in kimonos. I especially liked her description of the kimono as "poems to wear".
I was struck by Myrna's incredible passion for Oriental textiles, especially the story of how she turned her passion into a career. Her extensive collection of Chinese textiles resulted in a book called "Silks for Thrones and Altars", co-authored with John E. Vollmer, a curator of textiles at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Myrna inscribed the book for me and encouraged me to "keep working on my Japanese inspirations". I have so much inspiration and so little time. If only there were 30 hours in a day and/or I had an apprentice!!!!
Galerie Myrna Myers
11 rue de Beaune
Paris 75007
01 42 61 11 08
mmyersgal@aol.com