When Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman met and married in Detroit in 1948, they began a seven-decade love affair and creative partnership that would have a major impact on the aesthetic of California mid-century modernism.
At the time, Jerome was a charismatic World War II veteran, Evelyn a young assistant at Luce Lipton Interior Design Studio, where he first spied her folding fabric samples and presented her with a Milky Way bar.
Working out of their studio in Los Angeles, where they moved in 1952 to be part of California’s burgeoning design scene, the two would produce handcrafted case pieces, tapestries and other decorative objects in a variety of media, including ceramics, textiles, carved wood, mosaics and enamel.
The multifaceted pair collaborated with firms and designers such as Victor Gruen; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Paul McCobb; Steve Chase; and Arthur Elrod, an incredibly influential talent whose own clients included Frank and Lucille Capra, Hoagy Carmichael, Claudette Colbert, and more.
The Ackermans’ prolific body of work is distinguished by a hand-wrought sense of warmth and texture; a mix of folk art — like figuration and colorful abstraction; depictions of flowers, animals, children and mythical figures; and a belief in the Bauhaus principles of design. These days, their oeuvre proves very much in demand, and the Ackermans, in the tradition of husband-and-wife creators like the Eameses and Les Lalanne, rank among the most influential design couples in history.
Evelyn died in 2012 at age 88, while Jerome, known as Jerry, died in 2019. A testament to the renewed interest in their work, Pointed Leaf Press published Hand-in-Hand, Ceramics, Mosaics, Tapestries, and Woodcarvings by California Mid-Century Designers Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman in 2014, the first book to document the lives and careers of the couple.
Find vintage Jerome and Evelyn Ackerman furniture on 1stDibs.
Evelyn Ackerman ERA Hand Hooked Tapestry Rug
By Evelyn & Jerome Ackerman
Located in Kansas City, MO
Hand hooked tapestry by Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman, ERA, Los Angeles. Hand made in Japan. These are becoming increasingly rare. Very good original...
Nylon
Evelyn Ackerman Cityscape Tapestry
By Evelyn Ackerman
Located in Highland, IN
A lovely tapestry by Evelyn Ackerman in vivid warm hues, this piece interprets a cityscape as abstract blocks of color. We believe the title of this piece is "Byzantia". 33.5"h X ...
Wool
$1,320Sale Price|20% Off
H 48 in W 20 in D 1 in
SALE Handmade Mid Century Modern Evelyn Ackerman Style Textile Art Wall Hanging
By Evelyn Ackerman
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
CENTRAL AVENUE MODERN ALL TAPESTRY SALE! Spectacular Mid Century Modern, Scandinavian, Evelyn Ackerman Style Hand Tufted, Freeform, Colorful, Wool & ...
Wool
$2,200Sale Price|20% Off
H 20.5 in Dm 1.75 in
Carved Redwood Architectural Panel by Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman for Panelcarve
By Evelyn & Jerome Ackerman
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
The radiating sun motif reflects the optimism and indoor–outdoor living ideals central to California mid-century architecture. Solar imagery became a defining decorative element in t...
Wood
$995
H 18 in W 18 in D 0.25 in
Evelyn Ackerman ERA Signed Mid-Century Modern Woven Floral Tapestry Wall Hanging
By Evelyn Ackerman
Located in Studio City, CA
A fantastic work by famed Mid-Century Modern designer Evelyn Ackerman. Bright and intensely colorful with an elegant design. Evelyn, along with her husband Jerome, began her care...
Nylon
$1,500
H 40 in W 25 in D 1 in
Vintage Hand-Hooked Rug, Stripe Pattern, Wool & Cotton, American Folk Art
Located in Barrington, IL
Vintage American hand hooked rug in a stripe pattern handcrafted in the 4th quarter of the 1800s in the New England Area of the United States. The handwoven hooked rug has a series of slanted stripes in various brilliant colors. The material in the body is rag material that has been cut into narrow pieces and used in the body of the rug. The use of special design and the brilliant colors makes this truly an artistic piece wonderful to be used as a wall tapestry. The tradition of Hooked Rug started in New England. “Hooking” is the term used to describe the technique of hand crafting these rugs started as a hobby for the farmers in the long and dark cold winter nights of North East States in the US in the early 1800s. Hooked rugs were made as functional pieces for the home either as a table decoration or a wall art. Antique Hooked Rugs are a combination of Folk Art Creativity and Simplicity. When it comes to true simplicity and artistic creativity Antique Hooked Rugs have some of the best representations. Dimensions: 2’ 1” x 3’ 4” Date of Manufacture: 4th Quarter of the 1800s Place of Origin: America Material: Wool and cotton pile on a burlap foundation Condition: Wear consistent with age and use The Persian Knot Gallery, SKU: 1548 American Hooked Rugs, Vintage Hooked Rugs, Early American Hooked Rugs, American Rag Rugs, Antique Rug, Antique Rugs, Antique Carpets, Vintage Carpets, Handwoven Rugs, Vintage Artisan Rugs, Antique Handmade Rugs, Sustainability, Vintage Distressed Rugs, Allover Design Rug, Mid Century Modern Rugs, Vintage Rag Rugs, Vintage Wool Rag Rugs...
Wool, Cotton
$5,900
H 71 in W 48 in D 0.5 in
Vintage American Hand Hooked Rug, Wool & Cotton, Forest Scene Design, 48” x 72”
Located in Barrington, IL
This vintage American hand-hooked tapestry presents a charming and imaginative forest scene, rich with narrative detail and artisanal character. Rendered in a painterly palette of gr...
Wool, Cotton
Beautiful New Floral Design Karabagh Style Flat Kilim Rug
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Nice new Kilim with beautiful floral design Aubusson style with beautiful colors, entirely handwoven with wool on cotton foundation. Size: 170 x 240 cm.
Wool
$1,480Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 27.25 in W 66 in D 0.5 in
SALE 60s Polish E. Keszycka Cepelia Ackerman Style Kilim Wall Tapestry Hanging
By Evelyn Ackerman
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
CENTRAL AVENUE MODERN ALL TAPESTRY SALE! 1960s, Rare, Oversized, Hand woven, Polish kilim wall tapestry created by iconic Polish textile artist, E. Keszycka. Both sides of the t...
Wool
$2,783Sale Price / item|20% Off
W 78.75 in L 118.12 in
Beautiful New Floral Design Karabagh Style Flat Kilim Rug size 6ft 6in x 9ft 10i
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Nice new Kilim with beautiful floral design Aubusson style with beautiful colors, entirely handwoven with wool on cotton foundation.
Wool
Antique Hand-Knotted Kazak Kilim Rug, Wool, Polychrome, Caucasus, 1880
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
My carpets are not affected by fashions. After a year the new modern carpets are no longer worth the price paid because the trend has changed, it has already gone furthy, that design is already dated and out dated. Then enjoy at least one genuine product, made to keep and be part of Your home. This is a wonderful antique Kilim Kazak...
Wool
$1,669Sale Price|20% Off
W 47.25 in L 74.02 in
Vintage Caucasian Kilim Karabagh, Hand-Woven Wool Rug, Circa 1940
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
Old Caucasian kilim Karabagh or Garebagh from my private collection - Unusual polychrome stripes within a floral frame: beautiful on the wall also...
Wool
$6,900
H 79 in W 59 in D 1 in
Vintage Moroccan Boucherouite Tapestry Rug, Hand-Woven, Abstract Design, 5' x 7'
Located in Barrington, IL
This striking vintage Moroccan tapestry rug is a bold expression of artistic weaving, blending traditional craftsmanship with a distinctly modern abstract aesthetic. Handwoven by skilled artisans, this unique textile features a dynamic composition of geometric and painterly forms rendered in a vivid palette of red, pink, blue, green, purple, brown, and yellow. The interplay of color and form evokes the visual language of mid-century modern abstraction, reminiscent of the works of Josef Albers and Paul Klee, where color relationships and structure create a sense of rhythm and harmony. Versatile in function, this Moroccan textile can be displayed as a tapestry wall hanging or used as a decorative area rug, instantly becoming a focal point in any interior. Dimensions: 4' 11" x 6' 7" Date of Manufacture: 3rd Quarter of the 1900s Place of Origin: Morocco Material: Wool field on a wool foundation Condition: Wear consistent with age and use The Persian Knot Gallery, SKU: 1501 Moroccan Boucherouite, Vintage Moroccan Rugs, Vintage Berber Rugs, Vintage North African Rugs, Mid Century Modern Rugs, Boucherouite Rag Rugs, Moroccan Rugs Boucherouite, Moroccan Tribal Rugs, Abstract Mid Century Rugs, Berber Tribal Rugs, Vintage Boucherouite Rugs, Vintage Rag Rugs, Moroccan Rugs, Josef Albers Rugs...
Wool, Cotton
Hand-Hooked Rug or Tapestry Design by Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman
By Evelyn & Jerome Ackerman
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A fun Mid-Century Modern design. It has the original ware / patina, with an old repair. Great to hang on the wall framed or use on the floor.