“Le Combat de coqs” Aubusson tapestry, Pierre Tal-Coat (1905-1985)

Pierre Tal-Coat (1905-1985)
Le Combat de coqs
Aubusson tapestry, produced by the Compagnie des Arts Français

Pierre Tal-Coat is one of the major French painters of the 20th century, known for the great freedom of his line, his colour and his movement. In Le Combat de coqs, this pictorial language passes into the wool and produces a particularly lively and expressive composition.

The work was woven in Aubusson, the historic home of French tapestry. It belongs to the 20th-century tapestry revival, when many artists worked with the Aubusson workshops to transpose their creations into woven works.

A commission from the Compagnie des Arts Français

Jacques Adnet had directed the Compagnie des Arts Français since 1928. He wanted to restore tapestry to a leading place in interior decoration, without imitating painting and keeping to a limited number of tones. His approach ran parallel to Lurçat’s, but without the numbered cartoon. During the war he called on his painter friends Coutaud, Planson and Brianchon, whom the national manufactories would in fact approach soon afterwards. As he explained: “we wanted to show that contemporary tapestry finds its place in an ensemble and can effectively help the atmosphere of a room” (L. Chéronnet, Jacques Adnet, Art et Industrie, 1948).

Until 1946, the Compagnie organised tapestry exhibitions on its premises. It was on one of these occasions that our work by Tal-Coat was exhibited.

A work apart

Le Combat de coqs is an exception. The subjects woven for the Compagnie des Arts Français most often evoke a pleasant world, illustrating the great “French” taste. Nothing of the kind with Tal-Coat. The convulsions of the time appear fairly clearly, in a theme that would remain almost absent from his painting.

Technical details
Artist: Pierre Tal-Coat (1905-1985)
Title: Le Combat de coqs
Publisher: Compagnie des Arts Français (directed by Jacques Adnet)
Period: 20th century, 1940s
Style: modern art
Technique: Aubusson tapestry
Material: wool
Dimensions: H. 177 × W. 287 cm
Condition: good condition
Exhibited: Compagnie des Arts Français, Paris
Literature: Art et Décoration, 1946, no. 3, ill.