Enter Middle-earth with the “Aubusson weaves Tolkien” exhibition at Collège des Bernardins

If you love the world of J.R.R. Tolkien then the new exhibition at Collège des Bernardins is for you ! To celebrate the 70^e anniversary of the publication of the last volume of the Lord of the Rings, the Parisian institution is hosting within its walls the tapestries woven by the Aubusson manufacture from drawings by the famous writer.

An opportunity to admire – for the first time outside Aubusson – these tapestries, but also to take a new look at J.R.R. Tolkien, who was also an eminent teacher, a loving father, a talented painter a music lover and an environmentalist before his time. Focus on this exhibition, to be discovered – free of charge! – until 18 May 2025.

Article produced in collaboration with Collège des Bernardins

When Aubusson weaves Tolkien

Aubusson tapestries adapted from the works of Tolkien ? The idea may seem preposterous, but it’s actually brilliant !

In 2010, the Cité internationale de la tapisserie d’Aubusson wanted to create a 21st^th century hanging based on a great literary story, in the same way as hangings from the 16th^th or 17th^th centuries might have been. So she set out to find an author with a strong reputation who also produced visual images that could be transposed into tapestry.

It wasn’t long before Tolkien’s name came up as an obvious choice. In 2013, the project was submitted to the writer’s family, who were won over by the initiative. Weaving of the tapestries began in 2017 and will run until 2023. A total of 14 tapestries and 2 carpets have been created.

Public interest in these tapestries was not long in coming. Weaving Tolkien helps to generate renewed interest in the centuries-old art of tapestry. It’s also a way of making J.R.R. Tolkien’s work and personality better known, because while many know him from The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien is a multi-faceted character that the tapestries – and the exhibition – reveal to us !

Tolkien : a talented draughtsman

If we know Tolkien’s gift for writing, we know less that he was a great draughtsman. A talented artist, Tolkien illustrated his adventures, whether in Lord of the Rings, Hobbit or Silmarillion.

It is these drawings and watercolours, the originals of which are kept at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, that have been transposed into a tapestry.

The exhibition also features one of the two carpets woven by the Cité d’Aubusson. This one represents the map of Middle-earth, a drawing made by Tolkien’s son.

A loving father

The other little-known facet of J.R.R. Tolkien is that of the loving father, the most convincing testimony to which is the Christmas card series. For 20 years, between 1920 and 1942, Tolkien created a card for his children and went so far as to bribe the postman to make them believe that the card had been sent from Santa’s house at the North Pole!

These cards, accompanied by a letter, recount the adventures of Santa and his companions, including the particularly clumsy polar bear! These stories were published in a book three years after Tolkien’s death.

Three of these Christmas drawings have been adapted into tapestries, which are on display at the Collège des Bernardins.

A great academic

To complement this magnificent display of fourteen tapestries and a carpet, the Collège des Bernardins is also presenting more personal objects that belonged to J.R.R. Tolkien under glass, revealing in particular his academic side.

Probably the most touching object is his Oxford University professorial gown.

You’ll also be able to admire a number of works signed in his own hand, revealing the evolution of his signature.

Around the exhibition

The exhibition will be accompanied by a wide-ranging programme of artistic and academic events, including a series of lectures, screenings of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, a music festival, a symposium and a banquet…

Find out all about the programme on the Collège des Bernardins website:

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About the Collège des Bernardins

In the heart of Paris, a stone’s throw from Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Collège des Bernardins, a Cistercian abbey dating back to the Middle Ages, is reviving in 2008 the tradition of which it is the custodian: to become a place for dialogue with society, where art, faith and reason meet to shed light on contemporary challenges.

Lectures, conferences, exhibitions, concerts, training courses and workshops for young audiences are all part of the Collège des Bernardins programme.

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Practical information

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Article produced in collaboration with Collège des Bernardins