Lurçat, Jean

Lurçat, Jean (b Bruyères, Vosges, 1 July 1892; d Saint-Paul-de-Vence, 6 Jan. 1966). French painter and designer. For a time he was influenced by Cubism, but more important and lasting influences on his painting came from his extensive travels during the 1920s in the Mediterranean countries, North Africa, and the Middle East. His pictures were dominated by impressions of desert landscapes, reminiscences of Spanish and Greek architecture, and a love of fantasy that led him to join the Surrealist movement for a short period in the 1930s. Lurçat is chiefly remembered, however, for his work in the revival of the art of tapestry. His designs combined exalted themes from human history with fantastic representations of the vegetable and insect worlds, and he succeeded in reconciling the stylizations of medieval tapestry with modern modes of abstraction. In 1939 he was appointed designer to the tapestry factory at Aubusson and together with Marcel Gromaire (1892–1971) he brought about a renaissance in its work. He made more than 1,000 designs, the most famous probably being the huge Apocalypse for the church of Notre-Dame-de-Toute-Grâce at Assy (1948). From 1930 onwards he also produced coloured lithographs, stage designs, and book illustrations, and in the 1960s he renewed his painting activities. Lurçat also wrote poetry and books on tapestry.