A Pioneer in the fantastic and the grotesque, is what Henry McBride, the art critic, calls Renee Prahar, the sculptor. And a New York gallery is showing so much of her work as to support the attribution.

“Nothing could seem stranger in description—to prove so beautiful when seen—than the ‘monkey room,’ one of three interiors which will form part of an exhibition of her works, to take place soon. Miss Prahar is very fond of monkeys, and of all animals. She returns from Bronx Park with keen memories of their decorative possibilities, and thereupon preserves them in limewood, painted in brilliant cobalt, as the dominant theme of an entrance hall. Brooding blue monkeys on columns stand at the door. One crouches over to hold a gorgeous purple lamp-shade, gazing down on a simian brother below. The blue monkey motive rules a striking fireplace. The walls of the room are in cerise. Yet the effect is a peaceful one—slumberous, rich, tropical.
“Despite their cobalt complexions and lively nature, the monkeys are not at all intrusive. They provide the sidelights, the console table, the andirons, shovel, tongs and poker, but the most original members of the troupe are the twenty-seven little monkeys that edge the mantelpiece. They carry out a charming idea of Miss Prahar’s own—the combination of water and fire in interior decoration. From their mouths pour little jets of water, which, crossing one another before the flames, produce tiny rainbows and fascinating play of colored lights as they drop into a blue trough that is placed in front of the hearth, where the fender would be.

Read the rest of the article on Renee Prahar on our web-site

 

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 27th, 2006 at 10:23 am and is filed under 1920's, Art History. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Comments and pings are closed.

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