Jack Lenor Larsen
Encyclopedia
Jack Lenor Larsen is a textile designer, author and collector and promoter of traditional and contemporary craftsmanship in all its forms.
. The following year he studied furniture design and began weaving, moving to Los Angeles
to focus upon fabrics. In 1949 he studied ancient Peruvian textiles in Seattle and opened a studio. In 1951 he earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan
, and opened a studio in New York. He currently lives in New York
.
turned down his textile designs as too "individualistic", but by 1953, she was commissioning olive-green and orange coloured Larsen textiles for furnishings. From the beginning, Jack Lenor Larsen's distinctive hand-woven furnishing fabrics with random repeats in variegated, natural yarns were popular with clients such as Marilyn Monroe
. In 1958, he designed his first aeroplane upholstery, for Pan American Airlines. His passion for international weaving and textile crafts made him familiar with techniques such as ikat
and batik
, which he introduced to the American public, and by 1974, Larsen's company was manufacturing fabrics in 30 countries.
Examples of Larsen's work are preserved in the collections of museums around the world, and he is one of only two design houses to have been the subject of an exhibition at the Palais du Louvre
. Larsen Incorporated merged with Cowtan & Tout, the American subsidiary of the London
-based fabric company Colefax and Fowler in July 1997.
in Japan
. The building is raised on stilts and the spaces are divided by fabric sliding panels, which showcase Larsen's fabrics and his collection of historical and contemporary crafts, including works by Lucie Rie
, Wharton Esherick
, Edward Wormley
, and a glass chandelier by Dale Chihuly
, who Larsen encouraged to take up glass-blowing. While the house is not open to the general public, the landscaped sculpture garden
surrounding it is regularly open to the public. Sculptures in the garden include works by Yoko Ono
, Sol LeWitt
, and Willem de Kooning
.
Early life and education
Larsen was born in 1927 in Seattle, WA to Norsk-Canadian parents. In 1945 he enrolled at the School of Architecture at the University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
. The following year he studied furniture design and began weaving, moving to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to focus upon fabrics. In 1949 he studied ancient Peruvian textiles in Seattle and opened a studio. In 1951 he earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, and opened a studio in New York. He currently lives in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Business
Since the 1950s he has designed thousands of fabric patterns and textiles, many associated with the modernist architecture and furnishings popular with post-1945 American consumers. In 1952, Larsen founded his firm, Jack Lenor Larsen, Incorporated. In 1951 the interior designer Florence KnollFlorence Knoll
Florence Knoll Bassett is an American architect and furniture designer who studied under Mies van der Rohe and Eliel Saarinen. She was born in Saginaw, Michigan as Florence Schust and is known in familiar circles simply as "Shu"...
turned down his textile designs as too "individualistic", but by 1953, she was commissioning olive-green and orange coloured Larsen textiles for furnishings. From the beginning, Jack Lenor Larsen's distinctive hand-woven furnishing fabrics with random repeats in variegated, natural yarns were popular with clients such as Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
. In 1958, he designed his first aeroplane upholstery, for Pan American Airlines. His passion for international weaving and textile crafts made him familiar with techniques such as ikat
Ikat
Ikat, or Ikkat, is a dyeing technique used to pattern textiles that employs a resist dyeing process similar to tie-dye on either the warp or weft fibres....
and batik
Batik
Batik is a cloth that traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. Batik or fabrics with the traditional batik patterns are found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, China, Azerbaijan, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, and Singapore.Javanese traditional batik, especially from...
, which he introduced to the American public, and by 1974, Larsen's company was manufacturing fabrics in 30 countries.
Examples of Larsen's work are preserved in the collections of museums around the world, and he is one of only two design houses to have been the subject of an exhibition at the Palais du Louvre
Palais du Louvre
The Louvre Palace , on the Right Bank of the Seine in Paris, is a former royal palace situated between the Tuileries Gardens and the church of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois...
. Larsen Incorporated merged with Cowtan & Tout, the American subsidiary of the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based fabric company Colefax and Fowler in July 1997.
LongHouse
Larsen's East Hampton house, "LongHouse", completed in 1992, was built as a collaboration with the architect Charles Forberg; their 30th project together. It is a large house, with 13000 square feet (1,207.7 m²) of floorspace spread across 18 spaces and four floors. The design is inspired by the important Ise ShrineIse Shrine
is a Shinto shrine dedicated to goddess Amaterasu-ōmikami, located in the city of Ise in Mie prefecture, Japan. Officially known simply as , Ise Jingū is in fact a shrine complex composed of a large number of Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, and ....
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The building is raised on stilts and the spaces are divided by fabric sliding panels, which showcase Larsen's fabrics and his collection of historical and contemporary crafts, including works by Lucie Rie
Lucie Rie
Dame Lucie Rie, DBE was an Austrian-born British studio potter.-Early life:Lucie Rie was born as Lucie Gomperz in Vienna, Lower Austria, Austria-Hungary the youngest child of Benjamin Gomperz, a Jewish medical doctor who was a consultant to Sigmund Freud. She had two brothers, Paul and Teddy...
, Wharton Esherick
Wharton Esherick
Wharton Esherick was a sculptor who worked primarily in wood. He reveled in applying the principles of sculpture to common utilitarian objects. Consequently he is best known for his sculptural furniture and furnishings...
, Edward Wormley
Edward Wormley
Edward Wormley was born in 1907 in Rochelle, Illinois, and died in 1995. In 1926 he went to study briefly at the Art Institute of Chicago. Funds ran out and he went to work as an interior designer for Marshall Fields & Company department store...
, and a glass chandelier by Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly is an American glass sculptor and entrepreneur.-Biography:Chihuly graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Tacoma, Washington. He enrolled at the College of the Puget Sound in 1959...
, who Larsen encouraged to take up glass-blowing. While the house is not open to the general public, the landscaped sculpture garden
Sculpture garden
A sculpture garden is an outdoor garden dedicated to the presentation of sculpture, usually several permanently sited works in durable materials in landscaped surroundings....
surrounding it is regularly open to the public. Sculptures in the garden include works by Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
, Sol LeWitt
Sol LeWitt
Solomon "Sol" LeWitt was an American artist linked to various movements, including Conceptual art and Minimalism....
, and Willem de Kooning
Willem de Kooning
Willem de Kooning was a Dutch American abstract expressionist artist who was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands....
.
Selected works
- Fabrics for Interiors: A Guide for Architects, Designers and Consumers (1975)
- Jack Lenor Larsen: 30 ans de creation textile / 30 Years of Creative Textiles (1981)
- Material Wealth (1989)
- Jack Lenor Larsen: A Weaver's Memoir ( 2003)
Other sources
- McFadden, David Revere Jack Lenor Larsen: Creator and Collector (London; New York: Merrell Publishers. 2004)