The abstractions, powerful compositions, and magical significance of Moroccan carpets fascinated artists such as Le Corbusier, Marcel Breuer and Sean Scully. Their straightforward graphic style and vibrant colours are evocative of Mark Rothko or Cy Twombly. This intriguing resemblance forms the basis of this publication, which presents a striking juxtaposition of Moroccan woven and knotted carpets and European and American twentieth-century art. Unique examples from the Adam collection, one of the most significant private collections of Moroccan nomad carpets in the world, show how the abandonment of figural representations led to radical abstraction and a completely free and modern use of colours and forms among the Arabs and Berbers in the Maghreb. Since the early twentieth century, the return to the origins of art through the exploration of early or so-called primitive cultures in Africa, Asia, and America has led western artists to follow a similar path and to find patterns that connect, which form the roots of the European avant-garde.