even though a large proportion of my time in paris is generally spent gawking at her locals and tourists, the other part is mostly spent on visiting exhibitions and museums. one of my visits was to the galerie des gobelins through the thoughtful advices of a friend who knows of my passion for tapestry, especially the early and mid-twentieth century stuff. it was a time when the old tapestry manufacturers attempted to resurrect the industry and legacy of tapestry. jean lurçat (1892-1966) was one of the artists who greatly contributed to the task and i’ve appreciated his poetic pieces ever since i saw his work in the rupert’s collection back in the 80’s. this latest exhibit intended to portray all aspects of his oeuvre to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his death. it was by far the greatest collection of his work i’ve ever seen together and incorporated works from embassies and state institutions produced at the national workshops of gobelins and beauvais et de la savonnerie. inspired by the poets of his time; rilke, apollinaire, éluard etc. lurçat created some inventive tableaus with which to express the close relationship between man, beast, nature and the elements. the scale of these pieces, especially the grand celestial works and those depicting the seasons, are imposingly layered with his signature symbolism which succeeds in transforming his work into such an intriguing voyage and magical spectacle.