henri MATISSE
joan MIRÓ
“Mural Scrolls”
,
1949
Two silkscreens printed on a prepared canvas with a very tight weave, each signed in print and mounted along the top edge onto a piece of heavy-weave burlap bound into the original sample book with spiral wire (not included).
11-1/2 x 17-5/8 in.
1.)
Henri MATISSE, "ARBRE en FLEUR", 1949, silk screen sample mounted on original burlap for catalogue. Estimated edition size of 200, 12 x 18 in.
2.)
Joan MIRO, "EL SOL", 1949, silk screen sample mounted on original burlap for catalogue. Estimated edition size of 200, 12 x 18 in.
Condition:
Excellent- slight age toning, preserved in frames for over 60 years.
Provenance:
Private Collection, NY
Note:
Two rare samples from the book created by Katzenbach and Warren, Inc. in 1949 to promote an intended limited series of large scrolls by the artists. It seems that the large scrolls (six to ten feet in length and four to six feet wide) were either never completed or produced in exceedingly small numbers.
Although relatively large, (12 x 18 inches including the burlap mount), the silkscreens in this collection are reduced versions of the intended larger scrolls.
Printed on canvas and mounted on burlap the two silkscreens show exquisite depth of color and rich texture. Includes: "Arbre en Fleur" by Matisse, and "El Sol" by Miro. The Matisse and Miro prints have a small stamp "MS" (for “Mural-Scrolls”, as issued). These works are miniature versions of designs created by Calder, Matta, Matisse, and Miró for inclusion in a collection of four Mural Scrolls produced by the wallpaper company Katzenbach & Warren. The project featured works by Calder, Matisse, Miro, and Matta. The reduced-size "miniatures" were silk screened in the same manner as the full-size product.
Reference:
-Marilyn Oliver Hapgood. Wallpaper and the Artist; From Durer to Warhol. New York: Abbeville Press, 1992. The Katzenbach & Warren Mural Scrolls project is discussed pages 214-217.
-Lois and William Katzenbach. The Practical Book of American Wallpaper. New York; J. B. Lippincott Company, 1954. The authors discuss their company's Mural Scrolls pages 71-72. Although the Matisse work is illustrated with a full-size version photographed in a room setting, it is not certain that these works actually went into production beyond the miniatures assembled in the 1949 sample book.
-The New York Times. February 23, 1949. An article titled Series of Murals for Homes Shown; 4 Designs by Famous Artists to Be Reproduced in Full Scale on Canvas notes that the Katzenbach & Warren project was introduced to the public at the firm's Manhattan showroom the previous day.
