The Textile Museum at the George Washington University has announced that the 2025 George Hewitt Myers Award is presented to Romain Zaleski and Moshe Tabibnia in recognition of their lifelong commitment and outstanding contributions to the field of textile art.
Romain Zaleski has for more than five decades been an active collector and patron of carpets, textiles, and tapestries. His collection of approximately 1,330 rugs from the 16th to 19th centuries now forms the core of the Fondazione Tassara and is exhibited at the MITA Cultural Center in Brescia, Italy. The collection — one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive assemblies of classical carpets — includes masterpieces from Anatolia, Persia, the Caucasus, India, and East Turkestan.
Moshe Tabibnia has established one of the world’s leading galleries and research centers dedicated to carpets and textiles in Milan. Through his Research Center, he promotes the understanding and preservation of historic textiles by combining meticulous study with public presentation. The center offers scholars free access to its specialized library and extensive photographic archive and collaborates actively with museums, universities, and experts across the globe. Among his many scholarly initiatives is the publication of Milestones in the History of Carpets (2006).
The George Hewitt Myers Award is the highest honor bestowed by The Textile Museum’s Board of Trustees, recognizing individuals whose achievements have advanced the study and appreciation of textiles worldwide.
Both Romain Zaleski and Moshe Tabibnia are also past recipients of the Joseph V. McMullan Award, presented by the Near Eastern Art Research Center for lifetime contributions to the study of Islamic carpets and textiles.