318 - Jean LURÇAT (1892–1966)

Jean LURÇAT (1892–1966) "Belzebuth" Polychrome wool tapestry with a background lined with beige fabric Bolduc on the back annotated "BELZEBUTH 130 x 170 = 220 - Design by Jean LURCAT - Publisher: Mme BOUBELY - 110 x 130 cm - AUBUSSON M: 1225" 130 x 170 cm (Minor loose threads, signs of wear, and slight stains; modern lining) The buyer is responsible for the resale royalty tax. The condition report is available upon request at the following email address: contact@neo-encheres.com Description: Born in Bruyères in the Vosges region, Jean Lurçat (1892–1966) is unanimously regarded as the architect of the 20th-century tapestry revival. Trained as a painter and initially drawn to frescoes and engravings, he created his first tapestries as early as 1917 but did not devote himself fully to designing tapestry cartoons until 1936. His discovery of the “Apocalypse” tapestry in Angers in 1938 proved decisive: he invented the numbered design with a limited color palette, which transformed the relationship between the painter and the weaver. In 1939, at the invitation of the national tapestry manufacturers, he moved to Aubusson to work alongside Marcel Gromaire and master weaver François Tabard. He became the driving force behind the Association of Tapestry Design Artists, founded in 1947, which included Jean Picart Le Doux (his vice president), Marc Saint-Saëns, and Jacques Lagrange; Dom Robert was also among those who followed in his footsteps. His work culminated in *Le Chant du monde*, a vast tapestry housed in Angers. The creator of over a thousand designs, Lurçat developed a rich symbolic bestiary. The goat, often contrasted with the rooster, embodies the dark, even diabolical forces explicitly evoked by the title “Beelzebub,” amidst the lush vegetation and lizards that populate his compositions.