JEAN LURÇAT: VIROFLAY
AN EXHIBITION OF A SINGLE UNIQUE TAPESTRY
Jean Lurçat
Viroflay (detail), 1947-49
Aubusson tapestry
Hand-woven by Atelier Tabard
100 ¼ x 58 ¾ inches (254.7 x 149.3cm)
Executed by 1949
Jane Kahan Gallery is proud to present the historic weaving of a unique tapestry by Jean Lurçat heretofore unstudied debuting at Intersect Palm Springs 2022.
In the years immediately following the second World War, French artist Jean Lurçat [lur-sa] (1892-1966) designed a pair of tapestries with distinct compositions based on the vernacular architecture of real outdoor social establishments popular around the suburbs of Paris from the mid-19th to the late 20th century.
One tapestry of the known pair, Viroflay (Un Evenement a Viroflay)—named after the French town of Viroflay—is exceptional not just for its inclusion of a compositional perspective nearly unseen in Western art, but also for the appearance of an ancient totem, the bull.
Jean Lurçat is widely regarded as a painter and tapestry designer who worked directly with Aubusson weavers to innovate the technique and tradition of tapestry in the first half of the 20th century. Brother of noted modern architect Andre Lurçat; Jean Lurçat held an influential role in visual art for his knowledge of intense, human ancestral legends depicted in close observation with the natural world.
This exhibition will introduce viewers to the historical context of the tapestry with objects and research from gallery archives.
For additional information on JEAN LURÇAT: VIROFLAY please contact Pablo S. Morales at pablo@janekahan.com.