Claude Bleynie, Woman as a Unicorn Facing a White Horse, 1950

Reference:

This composition by Claude Bleynie features a hybrid female figure, lying down facing a white horse, in a universe on the border between the marvelous and the fantastic.

The work is distinguished by its assertive graphic style, combining angular shapes, sinuous lines, and a palette dominated by ochres, browns, and blues. The contrast between the dark silhouette of the unicorn-woman and the luminous head of the horse structures the composition, while stylized vegetation animates the whole.

Designed like a tapestry cartoon, this work demonstrates a decorative approach where the simplification of forms, the rhythm of lines and the flat areas of color play an essential role.

Biography:

CLAUDE BLEYNIE (1923–2016)

Born in Paris in 1923, Claude Bleynie was a French painter, tapestry designer, ceramicist, and decorator, associated with the revival of mural art and Aubusson tapestry in the second half of the 20th century. Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied until 1942, he was notably taught by the painters André Lhote and Jean Souverbie. He initially focused on painting and ceramics before gradually dedicating himself to the decorative arts and textile design.

In 1952, his meeting with Jean Picart Le Doux, a major figure in modern French tapestry, marked a turning point in his career. Through him, he discovered the expressive possibilities of the tapestry cartoon, a discipline in which he soon developed his own personal style. From 1958 onwards, Claude Bleynie exhibited at the Galerie La Demeure in Paris, a key venue for the dissemination and recognition of contemporary tapestry. He also participated in several events dedicated to mural art and its evolution.

His particularly prolific textile production includes over 300 tapestry cartoons, primarily produced by the Andraud workshops in Aubusson. He also collaborated on large-scale decorative projects, notably for the ocean liner France, for which he designed carpet cartoons for the luxury apartment "Île de France." His artistic world combines poetic figuration with great ornamental freedom. Fantastic birds, horses, female figures, and stylized flowers and plants compose an imaginary repertoire where nature readily blends with mythology and the marvelous.

His compositions are characterized by slender silhouettes, strong graphic rhythms, and intense chromatic contrasts. The flat planes of color, sinuous lines, and decorative organization of the surface reflect a search for balance between painting, drawing, and textile architecture. Alongside tapestry, Claude Bleynie pursued a career as a ceramicist and decorator. He also designed sets for the theater and, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, explored sculpture, permanent installations, and lighting fixtures.

His work occupies a unique place among the creators who contributed to the renewal of French decorative arts after the war. It testifies to a conception of tapestry as a monumental art, capable of combining pictorial expression, symbolic imagery, and artisanal expertise. Several of his creations are held in the collections of the Mobilier National, notably Printemps Versailles (1958) and Les Parques (1959).

Literature:

FAŸ-HALLÉ, Antoinette, Fifty Years of French Ceramics (1955–2005). A National Collection, Paris, Réunion des musées nationaux, 2005, pp. 161–201. Reference work on ceramic collections, cited in the entry dedicated to Claude Bleynie.

Aspects of contemporary figurative tapestry, exhibition, Forney Library, Paris, January 4 – February 4, 1968. Presentation text devoted in particular to Claude Bleynie and his fantastic universe.

PRÉVET, Alain, «Gargoulettes», Catalogue of contemporary French ceramics from the Sèvres museum, entry published on November 1, 2007. Réunion des musées nationaux – Grand Palais / Cité de la céramique.

MOBILIER NATIONAL, The Fates, Claude Bleynie, 1959, tapestry cartoon, inventory A 42.

MOBILIER NATIONAL, Printemps Versailles, Claude Bleynie, 1958, Aubusson tapestry, Andraud-Dethève workshop, inventory GMTT 827.

MEUNIER, Sébastien, Claude Bleynie — Composition, documentary notice, La Tapisserie du XXe siècle gallery, Paris, undated.