At first glance, the brilliant fuchsia background of the delicate silk scarf catches the eye. A closer look reveals unexpected details —ones not typically associated with Parisian high fashion. An intricately illustrated image reveals a stately turkey, with its distinctive blackish-brown plumage and elaborate fan-shaped tail, surrounded by a wreath of prickly pear pads interspersed with desert blooms, showy songbirds, fierce raptors and a menagerie of Southwest fauna. More than 50 native animals coexist on the 90-by-90-centimeter square of silk.
This is Faune et Flore du Texas. Despite its unique subject matter, it’s one of the most coveted scarves by Hermès. It’s also one of 17 created by Waco-based painter Kermit Oliver — the only American artist to design for the prestigious French fashion house.
“That scarf was created for the Texas sesquicentennial,” says Meg Tucker, program manager at The Bryan Museum in Galveston, home to one of the world’s largest collections of artifacts and artworks relating to the American West. Faune et Flore du Texas, along with all of Oliver’s scarf designs and a selection of original paintings, is currently on display at the museum in the exclusive exhibition “Kermit Oliver & Hermès: Storytelling on Silk & Canvas.”
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Portrait of an Artist
Oliver’s life and rise in the art world is a tale of creativity and perseverance, of public acclaim and extreme reclusiveness.
He was born in 1943 in the small town of Refugio, Texas. His father was a working cowboy, and his mother had Irish and German ancestry. Growing up on a ranch, Oliver learned to sketch animals at a young age. By high school, his work was influenced primarily by his rural surroundings, as well as his family’s religion and heritage, and by both biblical and secular literature.
As a student at Texas Southern University, Oliver was mentored by acclaimed muralist John Biggers.
While Biggers’ work focused on the Southern Black experience and African culture, Oliver created detailed allegories depicting local flora and fauna. After graduating, he continued to paint. In 1970, he became the first Black artist to be represented in a central Houston gallery. Although he gained attention in the local art scene, he wanted none of it. To support his family, he worked as a mail sorter for the U.S. Postal Service — a job he maintained until he retired in 2013. In 1984, he and his wife moved to Waco, where they still live.
“Kermit doesn’t like publicity. He doesn’t attend gallery events, and he rarely gives interviews. He just wants to stay at home where he’s most comfortable,” Tucker says, adding that the artist didn’t even appear at the opening of the Bryan Museum show. The comprehensive exhibition, which took Tucker two years to curate, is the first time Oliver’s entire catalog of scarves has been displayed in one space.
Pani La Shar Pawnee | 1984 | 90cm x 90cm | Silk | The first scarf was designed by Kermit Oliver for Hermès. Pani La Shar Pawnee holds a sculpted peace pipe featuring a galloping horse. His calm gaze and proud bearing express the great dignity of his people.
“Kermit doesn’t like publicity. He doesn’t attend gallery events, and he rarely gives interviews. He just wants to stay at home where he’s most comfortable.”
A Style Icon
Established in 1837, Hermès is known worldwide for its ultra-luxury handmade handbags. Its ICONIC Birkin bag starts at about $10,000 and can run upward of six figures. But perhaps its most emblematic item is its large silk Carré scarf. The exquisite, sophisticated pieces, crafted of 100% mulberry moth silkworm thread, were introduced in 1937 and favored by the likes of Grace Kelly, Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Queen Elizabeth II.
Since introducing the Carré scarf, Hermès has created more than 2,000 designs, ranging from the original equestrian motif to trendy and fanciful prints that include animals and mythological creatures, geometric patterns and multicultural illustrations. The company has collaborated with more than 150 artists to create a diverse range of styles.
Madison Avenue | 2000 | 90cm x 90cm | Silk | This scarf depicts a Native American woman surrounded by flora and fauna on the island of Manhattan dreaming of the future. This Hermès silk scarf celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the brand’s flagship store on Madison Avenue in New York City.
Oliver began working with Hermès in 1980 after Lawrence Marcus, the son of Herbert Marcus, co-founder of the luxury retailer Neiman Marcus, saw the artist’s paintings in a Houston gallery and recommended him to his friend, Jean-Louis Dumas, the creative director of Hermès.
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“They were looking for a specific thing that was different from what they were doing,” Oliver recalled during a rare public talk for a 2023 gallery show. “They gave me a choice between the American cavalry, the Native American and wildlife, and I chose wildlife and Native American.”
Oliver’s first design, Pani La Shar Pawnee, was a tribute to the Pawnee people of Nebraska and Kansas. It featured a Pawnee chief holding a peace pipe and was framed by stylized Native Americans on horseback. The scarf was a success, leading to a 30-year collaboration between the artist and the fashion house.
La Vie Sauvage du Texas | 2014 | 90cm x 90cm | Silk | In 2014, Hermès unveiled La Vie Sauvage du Texas, which celebrates Texas' diverse wildlife and native habitat. Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute received a percentage of the proceeds from the limited-edition scarf that features 120 native animals in the design surrounded by native flora.
Each of Oliver’s 17 scarf designs connects to his Texas roots. Rodeo cowgirls ride, rope and pose with hundreds of cowboy boots and cattle brands. A Pony Express rider gallops across a saguaro-dotted landscape. A kaleidoscope of Hopi kachinas dances across a series of vivid backgrounds. A pastoral scene of native Texas wildlife pays homage to legendary conservationist Caesar Kleberg.
“When you look at the scarves, you’ll see particular themes and species repeated. And they’re so beautifully shown that it’s clear to me that [Oliver] spent a long time in Texas,” Tucker says.
No matter the subject, however, the artist’s designs all share a bold use of color and keen attention to detail.
“Kermit used more colors than Hermès wanted him to,” Tucker explains. She notes that Oliver would use watercolors to paint his design. He would then roll up the artwork and send it to France, where it would be reproduced using a silk-screen process, during which each color is separated into its own layer and printed individually. Hermès scarves typically incorporate 20 to 30 colors per design. Oliver’s could use as many as 100 or more, and each of his scarves took from six to 12 months to produce. “It’s kind of mind-blowing when you think of how much extra work he created for those poor craftsmen at Hermès,” Tucker adds.
Plumes de L'ouest (Les Cheyenes) | 1993 | 90cm x 90cm | Silk
An Enduring Spirit
Despite Oliver’s desire to stay out of the limelight, his works remain renowned for their originality, vibrant colors and celebration of America.
His scarves are some of Hermès’ most sought-after, selling for thousands of dollars at auctions and on the second-hand market. His original paintings have demanded more than $100,000. His pieces are featured in the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
“Kermit is so below the radar,” Tucker says. “But I’m confident that he’ll go down in history as one of the best Texas artists of our time.”
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