Page 48 - Studio International - January 1966

Paris Commentary

by Alexander Watt
Since the collapse, some four years ago, of public held at the Mobilier National, the 'National Warehouse'.
devotion to abstract art in general, interest has switched The Mobilier National serves many purposes. It
rapidly from one form of art expression to another— preserves and maintains State-owned furniture, as well
to naive artists (the 'peintres de Dimanche' enjoyed as tapestries and other fabrics, which are rolled or hung
quite a boom), to sculpture in metal, and now to on easels in dark rooms at appropriate temperatures;
tapestry. This cannot be called anything new or revo- in a sense it acts as a hospital for furniture, and has its
lutionary, but its revival and emergence as the latest own repair shops ; and it hangs in the appropriate
fashion, so to speak, is emphasised by the remarkable places, Elysee Palace, Château de Champs, etc.,
exhibition of XVlth century masterpieces now being treasures to excite the admiration of visiting V.I.P.s.
The present exhibition is the first the Mobilier
National has ever put on, and is composed of forty-one
tapestries selected for the exceptional skill with which
they were executed and for their imposing dimension
—most of them are more than 1 6ft. long. These fabulous
tapestries represent traditional French and Flemish
gothic work, the highly decorative tapestries woven in
Flanders from Italian cartoons, and the work of the
Brussels, Milan, Ferrara and Florence ateliers and
the Royal Atelier at Fontainebleau.
Interestingly enough, the work of the contemporary
painter Jacques Lagrange, who has taken an active
interest in designing tapestry cartoons, was shown
recently at the Galerie La Demeure, and met with
some success, two of his tapestries being acquired by
the Mobilier National. Lagrange studied the XIllth-
century Apocalypse tapestries, one of France's great
art treasures, when he was stationed as a conscript in
La Touraine.
He spent part of the war in a p.o.w. camp, and after
liberation went to Belgium, where he was fascinated
by Flemish tapestries. The following year he started to
design his own tapestry cartoons and went on to the
Aubusson ateliers to study weaving techniques. There,
Jean Lurçat showed an interest in his work—hence
his recent exhibition.
Another outstanding exhibition which reveals some-
thing of the wealth of French art holdings is the
Petit Palais' Paintings and Drawings of the XVlth
Century in Europe, from French Public Collections'.
This is a staggering show, particularly when one takes
into account the fact that not a single painting or
drawing has been borrowed from the Louvre. The
catalogue itself, compiled by thirteen erudite art
historians and describing in detail every one of the
364 exhibits, is a tribute to the exhibition's splendour.
It is impossible here to give any account of the
masterpieces in the exhibition. Any art lover visiting
Paris should not miss it (it is on until the end of
January). It is another indication of the effort being
made to maintain 'le tourisme' as a major industry.
At the Galerie Michel Couturier Jean Fautrier, whom
some regard as a leading member of the so-called
School of Paris, has been showing some of his latest
sculpture and engravings. Whereas we are accustomed
to admire his non-figurative canvases, remarkable for
their rich and subtle impasto, here we were shown a
small collection of delicate water-colours and vividly-
coloured lithographs executed on rough and attractive
'Auvergne' paper.
Of other shows in Paris, first the exhibition at the
Galerie lolas of recent works by Max Ernst, one of the
founders of the Dada movement and, in my opinion,
the most brilliant and ingenious surrealist painter
today. In the spring of 1964 Ernst suddenly became
very ill and everybody was very worried about him.
Cranach But he recovered, and retired to his home in the
Portrait of the Princess Catherine de Brunswick-Grubenhagen (circa 1542) Loire Valley, and nothing more was seen or heard of
Oil, gouache and water-colour on paper, remounted on canvas
Exhibition of XVlth Century Art in France, at the Petit Pala is him. Now, to everyone's astonishment, he has come