RUDOLF GEISSMANN

As a kid, I first noticed kilims at the Ethnological Museum in Basel, Switzerland. In my twenties I traveled extensively in the Middle East and Central Asia where I saw many types of weavings in the villages and tents where they were produced and used. I was struck by their beauty and the fact that they were handmade objects of an artistic necessity to these tribesmen. The geometric repeating designs of these textiles shouted at me that here was something truly uniquely wonderful. So I purchased a few I really liked and took them back to Switzerland and inadvertantly my career in the carpet business was launched.

Also known as: antique carpets