Storm Bird
Signed, label – unique
Born in Rotterdam, Ernest Van Leyden turned to painting at an early age. Van Leyden was an extremely productive and versatile artist, hugely inspired by his numerous travels: his use of warm colors, striking compositions, and strong rendition – whether figurative or abstract made him a thoroughly appreciated artist within a circle of peers and friends to which Picasso, Salvador Dali and Willem de Kooing belonged as well.
He had long toyed with the idea of creating a tapestry and felt that it was the next logical step from his collages. These works, composed of pieces of different fabrics, reflected his concern for color, shapes and texture. “Storm Bird” the only tapestry of Van Leyden’s completed just before his death in 1969 appears as a giant three-dimensional landscape of color with various degrees of topographical relief.
Reference: Contemporary Tapestries, Denise Majorel/The Forum Gallery, unpaginated, 16th image.
