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Théo TobiasseThéo Tobiasse “Thou Art Fair, My Love” 1975 Signed Litho from Song of Songs...1975
1975
About the Item
THÉO TOBIASSE (1927–2012) – “THOU ART FAIR, MY LOVE”
Lithograph on Japon Paper ⚜ Hand Signed and Numbered ⚜ Gilt Wood Frame
A SENSUOUS HYMN TO BEAUTY, BELOVEDNESS, AND THE POETRY OF DESIRE
From the celebrated portfolio The Song of Songs of King Solomon, this richly saturated color lithograph is one of twelve compositions Théo Tobiasse created in 1975 to interpret the biblical Song of Songs, the canonical love poetry attributed to King Solomon. Published by Leon Amiel of Paris and New York and printed by the legendary atelier Mourlot in Paris, the suite stands among the most ambitious printmaking projects of the artist’s career. Tobiasse’s multi-color lithographic process produces the chromatic depth and atmospheric vibrancy visible across each impression, with the present sheet numbered LXV/C from the deluxe Roman numeral edition aside from the main edition of two hundred.
A voluminous female nude commands the composition, her golden and ochre tones rendered in luminous color and bold ink contour. Dark curls frame her face as she gazes outward with a quiet, knowing expression, a beaded ornament tracing the line of her shoulders. A dappled red bull rests at upper left, simultaneously perched on her shoulder as a symbolic companion and grounded against a green expanse that reads as distant pasture, a quintessential Tobiasse dissolution of near and far that lends the scene an air of primal vitality. To the right, an arched colonnade evokes the architecture of Venice and a tall lamp post burns against the sky, while at center foreground stands what reads as an ornate fountain motif rising from a blue and green paneled platform, the surrounding field saturated with Tobiasse’s signature splatter technique in crimson, emerald, sapphire, and gold.
Drawn from one of the most lyrical love texts in world literature, the Song of Songs celebrates the union of two lovers in language at once spiritual and unabashedly sensual. Tobiasse translates this poetry into a visual vocabulary that is both joyous and reverent, placing the radiant figure of the Beloved within a vibrant Venetian piazza alongside symbols of beauty, vitality, and the public theatre of urban life. Printed on heavy Japon paper with deckled edges and presented in a finely carved gilt wood frame, the work is ideally suited to interiors that embrace color and narrative, from a Mediterranean-inspired residence or a collector’s library to an intimate dining room or a gallery wall devoted to the School of Paris and modern figuration.
WHY COLLECT THIS WORK?
✓ Major Suite – One of twelve compositions from Tobiasse’s acclaimed The Song of Songs of King Solomon, published in 1975
✓ Master Printed and Published – Printed by the legendary Mourlot atelier in Paris and published by Leon Amiel, Paris and New York
✓ Hand Signed and Numbered – Pencil signed lower right and numbered LXV/C from the deluxe Roman numeral edition of one hundred
✓ Vibrant Multi-Color Lithography – Tobiasse’s signature splatter technique produces extraordinary chromatic depth and painterly texture
✓ Gilt Wood Frame – Ornate carved gilt wood frame with linen liner, ready to display
ARTWORK DETAILS:
▸ Title: Thou Art Fair, My Love
▸ Suite: The Song of Songs of King Solomon
▸ Artist: Théo Tobiasse (1927–2012)
▸ Medium: Color Lithograph on Japon Paper with Deckled Edges
▸ Year of Creation: 1975
▸ Signature: Hand Signed Lower Right in Pencil
▸ Edition: LXV/C (deluxe Roman numeral edition of 100, aside from the main edition of 200)
▸ Publisher: Leon Amiel, Paris and New York
▸ Printer: Mourlot, Paris, France
▸ Provenance: Private Collection
▸ Country of Origin: France
▸ Dimensions:
— ◼︎ Image Area: 19.5 x 26 inches
— ◼︎ Paper Size: 21.875 x 30 inches
— ◻︎ Frame Size: 28.5 x 36.5 x 1.625 inches
▸ Condition: Excellent, commensurate with age
▸ Framing: Gilt Wood Frame, ready to display
THE ARTIST:
Théo Tobiasse (born Tobias Eidesas, 1927, Jaffa, Israel; died 2012, Cagnes-sur-Mer, France) was a French painter, printmaker, sculptor, and illustrator of Lithuanian-Jewish heritage whose work occupies a singular place in the postwar School of Paris. His family settled in Paris in 1931, where the young Tobiasse endured the Nazi occupation in hiding for two years, an experience that profoundly shaped the themes of exile, memory, and cultural identity running throughout his career. After nearly fifteen years as a successful commercial designer for firms including Hermès, Tobiasse devoted himself fully to painting after winning the Prize of Young Mediterranean Painting in 1961.
Working from his studio in Saint-Paul-de-Vence on the French Riviera, Tobiasse developed a highly personal iconography that fused Expressionism, Surrealism, and modern primitivism. His subjects drew on biblical narratives, the experience of exile, the sensual celebration of feminine beauty, and the cities that inspired him most: Paris, Jerusalem, Venice, and New York. Critics have noted strong affinities with the visionary figuration of Marc Chagall, the bold color and spiritual depth of Georges Rouault, and the textured surfaces of the School of Paris tradition more broadly, alongside echoes of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse in his treatment of the female form. In collaboration with master printers including Pierre Chave at Saint-Paul-de-Vence and Mourlot in Paris, Tobiasse produced lithographs of remarkable chromatic depth, often employing eighteen to twenty-three separate color passes.
Tobiasse exhibited internationally throughout his career, with solo shows in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Geneva, London, and Los Angeles. The novelist Chaim Potok devoted a major monograph to his work, Théo Tobiasse: Artist in Exile (Rizzoli, New York, 1986). His monumental public commissions include stained glass windows for the Great Synagogue of Nice and a decorated chapel at Le Cannet. His paintings, prints, and sculptures are held in numerous museum, corporate, and private collections worldwide, and his work continues to resonate with collectors drawn to expressive figuration, biblical and literary narrative, and the visual language of memory, desire, and belonging.
- Creator:Théo Tobiasse (1927 - 2012, French, Israeli)
- Creation Year:1975
- Dimensions:Height: 28.5 in (72.39 cm)Width: 36.5 in (92.71 cm)Depth: 1.625 in (4.13 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Framing:Frame IncludedFraming Options Available
- Condition:This piece is well-preserved, in great condition, framed, and ready to hang. Frame may show minor signs of wear commensurate with age.
- Gallery Location:Miami, FL
- Reference Number:Seller: 1013951stDibs: LU2843218005132
Théo Tobiasse
Born in Palestine in 1927 and brought to Paris as a child, Theo Tobiasse created his earliest drawings before World War II. After the war, having spent the crucial years of his youth hiding from the Nazis in a Paris apartment, he became a successful commercial designer until 1961, when he decided to devote his full attention to painting. Tobiasse's style of painting is highly sophisticated. His technique is a painterly blend of surrealism, expressionism, and modern primitivism. His themes are literary, often biblical, and at times, erotic. His paintings seem to transcend history - fusing dreams, mythologies, biblical stories and his own past - into rich metaphors for the world of the present. An internationally acclaimed artist, Tobiasse's works are included in numerous private, corporate and museum collections worldwide.
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