Jean Lurcat pochoir print, Arlequin Hamlet, c1925
Frame: 14 1/4" x 18 3/4"
Print: 6 1/2" x 9 3/4"

Jean Lurcat
(Source: wiki) Jean Lurcat (1 July 1892 - 6 January 1966) was a French artist noted for his role in the revival of contemporary tapestry.

He was born in Bruyeres, Vosges, the son of Lucien Jean Baptiste Lurcat and Marie Emilie Marguerite LHote. He was the brother of Andre Lurcat, who became an architect. After his secondary education at Epinal, he enrolled at La Faculte des sciences de Nancy and studied medicine. He went to Switzerland and Germany (Munich) and in leaving his educational path, he went to the workshop of Victor Prouve, the head of the École de Nancy.

In 1e12, Jean Lurcat took residence in Paris with his brother André. He enrolled at the Academie Colarossi, then at the workshop of the engraver, Bernard Naudin. He met painters such as Matisse, Cezanne, Renoir; his friends included Rainer Maria Rilke, Antoine Bourdelle, and Elie Faure. Lurcat and three associates founded the Feuilles de Mai (The leaves of May), a journal of art in which these celebrities participated. He then became an apprentice of the painter Jean-Paul Lafitte with whom he had an exhibition at La faculte des sciences de Marseille. His first journey to Italy was interrupted in August by the declaration of war. Back in France, Lurcat joined the infantry, but was evacuated on 15 November after falling ill. During his recovery to health, in 1915, he practiced painting and lithography. In July 1916, he returned to the front, but was evacuated once again due to injury. He never returned to the front. In September, his art was put on exhibition in Zürich.

Lurcat departed in 1927 for the Orient and spent the summer in Greece and Turkey. He decorated the lounge of the family of David David-Weill. There are four tapestries in developing and implementing LOrage (The storm), for George Salles (Musée National dArt Moderne, National Museum of Modern Art). He returned to Greece and Italy (Rome) in 1928 before embarking in October for the United States of America, for his first exhibition in New York. He spent 1929 in Marco. In 1930 he had exhibitions in Paris, London, New York, and Chicago; he created nine drypoint illustrations for Les Limbes (The limbo) by Charles-Albert Cingria; and he made another visit to America. In that same year he divorced Marthe Hennebert. In 1931 he married Rosane Timotheef and they took up residence in Vevey (Switzerland). He wrote several articles about painting, and reduced his production of pictures.

In December, 1932, Lurçat participated in the exhibition Sélections with Matisse, Picasso, Braque, Derain and Raoul Dufy; the event was organised in New York by the Valentine Gallery. Being aligned with the far left, from then on he often mixed his political opinions with his art. In 1933, he was living in New York. He created the decoration and the costumes for the Jardin Public (Public Garden), a ballet by George Balanchine. 1933 also saw his first tapestry sewn at Aubusson, following the new and revolutionary technique that he developed.

Provenance
(From nytimes obituary) Laura Odell (b1922), a retired interior and kitchen designer, died on August 25, 2021 at her home of 56 years in Manhattan.

From her interest in preparing fine cuisine, she founded Laura Odell Kitchen Designs and became successful in the design and installation of residential kitchens. Her talents extended into interior design, a lifelong passion. Her clients included notable figures in fashion, corporate leadership and politics. In her early 90s, she consulted on the design of the current Gracie Mansion kitchen.

Over several years, she contributed to numerous articles in the New York Times Home section. She was an enthusiastic patron of the arts, including theater, ballet and musical performance. For over 20 years, she was a dedicated student of the Iyengar school of yoga.

Mrs. Odell was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and emigrated to the US in 1941, living in Chicago, IL. She moved to New York City in 1948 and with her husband Herman, an attorney, (d.1993), devoted her time to raising two sons, James (d. 2020) and Robert of Seattle, WA. She is survived by three grandchildren, Jasper, Miles and Hannah, and beloved nieces and nephews Chuck, Roger & Myla Green.

Good condition overall