“The Funeral, 1957-1958”, A Unique Large Rut Bryk Wall Relief, Arabia

A stunning wall relief in glazed ceramic designed by Rut Bryk and made in 1957-58. The piece named “The Funeral” depicts six men carrying a coffin and flowers and is beautifully described in the Rut Bryk book by Harri Kalha as follows:

“Without knowing the title of this work, we might not guess its content. The long pale shape punctuated by dark columns depicts a coffin being carried by six men in top hats. The coffin is draped with delicate flowers, the only traditional element in the composition – as if to suggest that it would be unseemly to tamper with a symbolic last tribute to the deceased. A large heart is inscribed on the coffin imperfect, yet as beautiful as a ceramic surface ever can be. The heart is a wreath woven of sprigs of Linnaea. In-side the heart, nuances of pink are set off by a delicate grey bruise.

Here we have an omen of an approaching artistic watershed: Bryk was in the process of abandoning figurative depiction. The lines are more solid and assured; the robust shapes reluctant to reveal whether they form a sculpture or a picture.

It is somehow fitting that Bryk has cloaked the emotional content of this work in such austere, enigmatic garb. Abstraction is itself mourning dress of sorts: renouncing representation is a form of letting go, hence the sombre, faceless figures. The occasion is official, yet the artist has wanted to engrave her personal mark on the ceremony.

The Funeral dates from 1957, the year the artist’s father Felix was buried, Bryk kept this work on the wall of her studio and preferred not to show it in exhibitions. She never revealed to outsiders whose funeral the work portrayed.”

This piece is so big, that it’s made up of two seperate ceramic tiles held together by a wooden frame in the back. Both tiles are glazed, polished and in good condition apart from 3 minor chips on the back (please refer to the pictures, the chips are less 1 cm each, very small). The item is signed “Bryk”

This piece is unique (a few were made, and uniquely hand coloured), it came from the personal collection of Edmundo Diquez C., a very successful and renowned architect from Venezeula. The last two pictures are of a similar piece hanging in the Rut Bryk section in the EMMA museum and from the book “Rut Bryk”.

3×84,5×82,5 cm