The Russian Academy Of Arts

The French Academy of Fine Arts, the Russian Ministry of Culture and the Russian Academy of Arts present a show of works by Jean Lurcat (1892-1966). The highlights are tapestries, paintings, ceramics and collection editions of books written or illustrated by the master which give a good idea of his work in the period from the 1920s-1960s. These works have been bequeathed to the French Academy of Fine Arts by the artist’s wife Simone Lurcat.

Jean Lurcat is an artist of versatile talent. He is not only a poet-humanist, but also an author of cartoons for tapestries, illustrator and a master of ceramics. The active advocate of peace and enlightenment, Jean Lurcat is considered as one of the most distinguished artists of the period between two world wars, though his creative work has not been studied well enough up yet. His big success as a master of cartoons for tapestries overshadowed the fact, that Jean Lurcat was a world renowned painter. He belonged to the circle of prominent artists of his time such as Picasso, Braque, Derain, Matisse… At the same time he stood aside from the art trends constantly changing each other. For his creative life Jean Lurcat authored more than 1500 works in oil, gouache and watercolor.

The artist was very sensitive to the vibration of moods in the society between two world wars that was clearly reflected in his works: colorful oriental characters at the beginning of the period executed in warm colors gave way to cheerless landscapes, fleshless and mysterious prolong silhouettes resulted from the gloomy experience of the First World War, then dominated the image of a looser followed by corpulent females against the background of more bright colors. The strong anxiety and understanding of the inevitability of horrors of the coming Second World War could be felt in his works focused mostly on aesthetic problems. His palette obtained a more severe character. Later Lurcat abandoned painting in favor of tapestries, to which he devoted the major part of his creative energy.

Jean Lurcat first tried his hand at the tapestry making during the First World War. In 1939 he realized the necessity to return a new life to the art of tapestry that had to be radically renovated. For his technological and stylistic innovations Jean Lurcat was recognized as one of the great reformers of the tapestry making in the world, he was also an initiator of the revival and renovation of modern textile art. Jean Lurcat had numerous commissions from the famous Manufacture des Gobelins where his remarkable series “Four Seasons” (Les Quatre Saisons) was fabricated. In 1957 at the height of his career he started working on his principle 350 sq.m tapestry – epic and poetic vision of the 20th century of the man who tirelessly glorified human anxieties and hopes thus making his works of universal scale. His legacy as an artist of tapestries comprises over one thousand works. The exhibition in Tsereteli Art Gallery is accompanied by the “The Sunny Dream” (Le reve ensoleille) film about Jean Lurcat’s life produced by Patrick Сasal.

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