Lot description
Lorentz Kleiser (American 1879-1963) Rendezvous oil on board signed and identified reverse 30 x 24" 36 x 29.5" as framed. Kleiser was a key figure in reviving the art of tapestry weaving in the United States. Kleiser was born in Elgin, Illinois. When he was five years old, his parents returned to Norway where he then grew up. He apprenticed with a Norwegian mural painter at age 16, and he studied art in Munich, Germany. In 1900, Kleiser returned to the United States. He worked for interior design firms and developed an interest in tapestries. He founded Edgewater Tapestry Looms. The company opened in Edgewater, New Jersey, in 1913. (Kleiser had made an earlier effort at starting a weaving business.) Kleiser’s tapestries served as wall hangings for homes and public buildings. He drew inspiration and techniques from the best examples from the past. His designs often featured subjects from European historic tapestries. Kleiser employed a studio of weavers and other artisans. They hand wove the works on upright looms. The Great Depression hampered business. Edgewater closed in 1933. Kleiser moved to Palos Verdes, California, where he did some tapestry work and easel painting. About 1947, he visited Orange, Texas, and came to know H.J. Lutcher and Nelda Childers Stark. From 1949 to early 1963, Lorentz and his wife Constance lived in Blue Moon Cottage in Shangri La, the Starks private garden. There he painted scenes of Shangri La with its wildlife, still life settings of camellias and decorative objects, and portraits. In 1963, the Kleiser's returned to New York, where Lorentz passed away.