Michael O'Connell (1898-1976), the merchant of Venice, paste…
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Michael O'Connell (1898-1976), the merchant of Venice, paste resist dyes and hand-painting on woven wool-rayon blend fabric, maker's mark lower right: Mael, from the 'Pageant Series', 1948-1950, 176 x 263 cm. Provenance: George's gallery, Melbourne, 'Michael O'Connell 'Textile Murals', February 1952 (see further details below), there acquired by Klytie Pate (1912-2010), Sold from the Estate of Klytie Pate, 2010, Leonard Joel, decorative Arts and fine furniture, 21 November, 2010, lot 130, private collection, Melbourne, Exhibitions George's gallery, Melbourne, 'Michael O'Connell - Textile Murals', February 1952, catalogue no. 10 (one of twelve works forming the 'Pageant Group'), Bendigo Art gallery, 'The lost modernist: Michael O'Connell', 26 November, 2011-18 February, 2012. Literature: Harriet Edquist Michael O'Connell: the lost modernist (2011), pp 99-100 (illustrated). Other Notes: Born and raised in Lancashire, O'Connell moved to Australia in 1920 and lived in Melbourne for a number of years. Self-taught in Art and very experimental in exploring uses of different materials, including in the production of commercially successful concrete garden sculpture, O'Connell turned to print-making in different media, ultimately concentrating on printing on fabric, combining his interest in modern interpretation of traditional subjects and motifs with pioneering use of synthetic fabrics and dyes. With his avante garde approach to design and media and regular exhibitions from the 1920s through to the 1950s, O'Connell's textile works, which ranged from hangings to decorating fabrics, attracted much favourable interest in Australia and in Britain, to which he and his wife Ella, also a print-maker, returned in 1937. (the 'Mael' signature on the present work represents the couple's given names combined.) in the early 1930s, O'Connell was also involved in an interior design and decorating business in Melbourne in partnership with Frederick Ward and Cynthia Reed. His post-Second war work in Britain, including work shown at the festival of Britain in 1951, contributed notably to modern artistic and decorative textile design in Britain and is represented in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum and other design collections. A major exhibition of O'Connell's work (including the present lot) and his place as a modernist in Australia was held at the Bendigo Art gallery in 2012.
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- Modernism / Modernist - Modernist furniture and design emerged in the early to mid-20th century as a response to traditional styles of the 19th century and prior times, and a reflection of the technological and social changes of the time. Characteristics of Modernist furniture and design include simplicity and minimalism and clean lines and a lack of unnecessary ornamentation are key features. That form follows function is a fundamental principle of Modernist design, and furniture and objects are designed with a focus on their practical use.
Modernist furniture often incorporates geometric shapes, such as cubes, rectangles, and circles. This reflects a departure from the more ornate and curvilinear forms of previous design styles. The furniture often prioritizes ergonomic design, ensuring that objects are comfortable and user-friendly. Modernist designers aimed to create designs that could be mass-produced, making good design accessible to a broader population.
Prominent figures associated with Modernist furniture and object design include designers such as Hans Wegner, Verner Panton, Florence Knoll, Harry Bertoia and Ettore Sottsass
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- fabrics 9