PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN
Lot 21AR,TP,W
AFTER FERNAND LÉGER(1881-1955)Composition murale, also titled Composition abstraite
12 – 13 October 2022, 16:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £82,200 inc. premium
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AFTER FERNAND LÉGER (1881-1955)
Composition murale, also titled Composition abstraite
with the signature 'F. Léger.' in the weave (lower right) and the Atelier Tabard Frères & Soeurs monogram in the weave (lower left); numbered '2/6' and with the Atelier Tabard Frères & Soeurs label showing the reference number '879' (on the reverse)
hand-woven Aubusson wool tapestry
195.7 x 394.1cm (77 1/16 x 155 3/16in).
Conceived in 1953, this tapestry executed by the Atelier Tabard Frères & Soeurs in 1962 in a numbered edition of 6, of which only 4 were realised.
with the signature 'F. Léger.' in the weave (lower right) and the Atelier Tabard Frères & Soeurs monogram in the weave (lower left); numbered '2/6' and with the Atelier Tabard Frères & Soeurs label showing the reference number '879' (on the reverse)
hand-woven Aubusson wool tapestry
195.7 x 394.1cm (77 1/16 x 155 3/16in).
Conceived in 1953, this tapestry executed by the Atelier Tabard Frères & Soeurs in 1962 in a numbered edition of 6, of which only 4 were realised.
Footnotes
Provenance
Atelier Tabard Frères & Soeurs, Aubusson.
Nancy Oakes Collection, London and The Bahamas (acquired from the above circa 1962).
Private collection, London (by descent from the above).
Exhibited
(Possibly) Nice, Palais de la Méditerranée, F. Léger, tapisseries, ceramiques, bronzes, lithographies, 20 July - 30 September 1962.
Literature
Exh. cat., F. Léger et les arts décoratifs, Biot & Aubusson, 2002-2003 (another edition illustrated p. 34).
G. Bauquier, Fernand Léger, catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, 1952-1953, Paris, 2013, no. 1492 (the painted version illustrated p. 57).
Executed on a monumental scale, Composition abstraite is one of the most iconic tapestries Fernand Léger ever created. The design for this work was based on a study for Projet pour une peinture murale which Léger created in 1953. The tapestries, however, were executed by the Atelier Tabard Frères et Soeurs in Aubusson in 1961 and 1962, after the artist's death in 1955. Although six examples were scheduled for the edition, only four were realised.
The present work was acquired in the year of execution by Nancy Oakes, daughter of Canadian gold mining tycoon Sir Harry Oakes. Her family name and relationship with British Hollywood actor Richard Greene made her a popular public figure and her glamorous appearance was featured in numerous media outlets across the globe throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Oakes was very much a cosmopolitan socialite, and her eventful life led her to numerous countries, before she ultimately settled between London and The Bahamas. Composition abstraite remained in her personal collection until her death in 2005, whereafter it was bequeathed to the present owner. Another version of Composition abstraite was commissioned by the artist's wife together with George Bauquier, the initiator of the Musée national Fernand Léger, in Biot, where it is currently housed.
