Description
Not something we see everyday. This piece is an unsigned Jean Varda piece that matches the style and flair of many of his other collage style pieces. Unique and well executed. The piece is reversible and displays a king on one side and a Queen on the other side. I am unsure if this piece was meant to be an ash tray or a strictly decorative piece. Minor wear and tear throughout. We are unsure of the title of this piece. Happy to try to answer any additional questions you may have. About the artist: Varda exhibited his work in London and Paris before leaving for New York in 1939, where his work was exhibited at the Neumann-Willard Gallery.[7] In 1940 he moved to Anderson Creek, in Big Sur, California, and after that to Monterey, about forty miles north of Big Sur. In late 1943 he persuaded the writer Henry Miller to move to Big Sur. In 1944 Miller wrote an admiring profile of Varda called "Varda the Master Builder," which was published by Circle Magazine, an avant garde art and literary magazine produced in Berkeley by George Leite. During the war years Varda's house in Monterey became a salon for artists, writers, and other creative people.[8] Through Henry Miller Varda met the writer Anaïs Nin. Varda and Nin became close friends and Nin would write about Varda frequently.[9] Her novel "Collages" includes a slightly fictionalized profile of Varda.[10] By 1943 Varda started shifting over to collages from his earlier mosaic/mirror pictures. The collage, which would typically combine scraps of cloth and bits of paper with paint on a board, would remain his favored medium for the rest of his life.[11] In 1946 Varda taught at a Summer Institute at Black Mountain College, an experimental school in rural North Carolina.[8][12] During the late 1940s and early 1950s Varda taught at the California School of Fine Arts (now the San Francisco Art Institute). 1970s tile mural by Varda at Union City station In approximately 1948 Varda and British-born artist Gordon Onslow Ford acquired an old ferryboat called the Vallejo. They permanently moored the Vallejo in Sausalito, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. Using materials scavenged from a closed-down wartime shipbuilding operation, they remodeled the ferryboat into a studio for Onslow-Ford and a studio and living quarters for Varda.[13] The writer and Zen Buddhist popularizer Alan Watts took over Onslow-Ford's space on the ferryboat in 1961.[14] Varda turned the Vallejo into a kind of salon. He was an excellent cook and would regale guests with stories at dinners. His costume parties were famous. On Sunday afternoons he would take friends out on one of his homemade sailboats. Throughout his life he continued to create collages.[14]
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Condition report: Good condition overall. Minor wear and tear throughout. A few professional repairs made. Chipping to one corner. Unsigned example. 7.5/10
Measurements: 7 W x 7 D x 28 H Exceptions to free shipping: Overseas, incl. HI & AL (location dependent, but shipping charged at cost) If the item is small enough, we prefer FedEx ground but can sometimes work with the USPS to get the item directly to your home. We will provide you with a tracking number as soon as we ship the item. We also offer pickup at our main office in Sacramento, CA for a discounted rate.
At Mid Century Sacramento, we source, restore, and carefully curate iconic 20th century/mid century modern designs to time capsule condition. We view good furniture design as the same as functional art and our goal is to put that art into your hands. Our services include staging, restoration, and reupholstery services. Per request, we can make any changes or updates (such as upholstery or restorations) to your item at cost through professional contractors.
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