11th Feb, 2026 11:00
The Estate of John Russell Taylor: Author, Critic, Collector
29
GEORGES DE FEURE (BELGIAN 1868-1943)
DESIGN FOR A RUG WITH RATS AND HENS
signed G de Feure on the margin lower right; pochoir on paper; 33.5 x 23.5cm; 13 1/4 x 9 1/4in (35 x 25cm; 13 3/4 x 10in framed)
Raised in Holland, de Feure moved to Paris in 1889 finding work as an artist and illustrator. Influenced by the decorative designs of Jules Cheret (1836-1932) he instinctively tended towards symbolism (see lot 130). His work was included in the Exposition des Peintres Impressionistes et Symbolistes at the Galerie Le Barc de Boutteville, alongside Gauguin and the Nabis, and in the Salons de la Rose + Croix in 1893 and 1894. In the mid-1890s De Feure began an association with Siegfried Bing and his landmark Galerie de l'Art Nouveau which opened in late 1895. De Feure worked closely with the gallerist on designs for furniture, lamps, stained glass, wallpaper and ceramics and received great acclaim for his design for Bing's Pavillon de l’Art Nouveau at the Exposition Universelle of 1900. Parallel with working for Bing, de Feure established his own atelier. As with his work for Bing, De Feure's designs were strongly influenced by Japanese prints. His work is synonymous with the fluidity of the Art Nouveau aesthetic much in the manner of Alphonse Mucha.
Sold for £130
DESIGN FOR A RUG WITH RATS AND HENS
signed G de Feure on the margin lower right; pochoir on paper; 33.5 x 23.5cm; 13 1/4 x 9 1/4in (35 x 25cm; 13 3/4 x 10in framed)
Raised in Holland, de Feure moved to Paris in 1889 finding work as an artist and illustrator. Influenced by the decorative designs of Jules Cheret (1836-1932) he instinctively tended towards symbolism (see lot 130). His work was included in the Exposition des Peintres Impressionistes et Symbolistes at the Galerie Le Barc de Boutteville, alongside Gauguin and the Nabis, and in the Salons de la Rose + Croix in 1893 and 1894. In the mid-1890s De Feure began an association with Siegfried Bing and his landmark Galerie de l'Art Nouveau which opened in late 1895. De Feure worked closely with the gallerist on designs for furniture, lamps, stained glass, wallpaper and ceramics and received great acclaim for his design for Bing's Pavillon de l’Art Nouveau at the Exposition Universelle of 1900. Parallel with working for Bing, de Feure established his own atelier. As with his work for Bing, De Feure's designs were strongly influenced by Japanese prints. His work is synonymous with the fluidity of the Art Nouveau aesthetic much in the manner of Alphonse Mucha.
Auction: The Estate of John Russell Taylor: Author, Critic, Collector, 11th Feb, 2026
Auction Location: London, UK
John Russell Taylor was a compulsive collector. When he died at the age of ninety, his two bedroom flat on the corner of Brook Green was floor to ceiling with books and pictures that he had collected over the last seventy years. A precocious talent he was awarded a scholarship to read English at Cambridge aged 16 and graduated with a starred First Class degree. Film, theatre and art critic for The Times for more than four decades, he wrote thousands of articles and reviews for the newspaper. He also wrote over sixty books – critical studies, biographies, and monographs. He was appointed professor of Film at the University of Southern California during the 1970s, when he was asked by Alfred Hitchcock to write his biography. Hitch remains the standard text on the film director. John's interests ranged across all aspects of the arts from Art Nouveau book illustration to Vorticism, fan paintings, poetry and stage design. Struck by the visual rather than the value of a work of art, the sale of his picture collection gives a flavour of the full gamut of his encyclopaedic mind, a man remembered for his phenomenal range of reference, his extraordinary talent for writing and his warm and generous character.
For a copy of the printed catalogue, email pictures@olympiaauctions.com
PUBLIC EXHIBITION
Friday 6th February: 10am - 5pm
Sunday 8th February: 12pm - 4pm
Monday 9th February: 10am - 8pm (Drinks: 5pm - 8pm)
Tuesday 10th February: 10am - 5pm
View Press Release for more information
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PUBLIC EXHIBITION
Friday 6th February: 10am - 5pm
Sunday 8th February: 12pm - 4pm
Monday 9th February: 10am - 8pm (Drinks: 5pm - 8pm)
Tuesday 10th February: 10am - 5pm
