Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level E , Case MP, Shelf 55, Box A

Print

1960-1970 (made)
Artist/Maker

Walter Spitzer (born 1927) was a printer and painter who continually alternated between the two media and this is shown by the range of techniques used in the images of owls which he gave to poet and scholar Walter Strachan (1903-1994). He was known for his skill with colour, which he used quite vividly.

Poet and scholar Walter Strachan (1903-1994) was fascinated by the art of the book. His interest was inspired by a visit to an exhibition of artists’ books at the National Gallery in London in May 1945. In due course he wrote many articles on the subject, as well as a major reference work, The Artist and the Book in France (published 1969); he also encouraged successive Keepers of the National Art Library at the V&A “to buy them for England.” To this end he visited France every year, to meet the artists, and acquired proof pages to illustrate his articles and to show to potential purchasers of the books, including the V&A. Over the years he amassed a collection of images of owls; some of these were illustrations from livres d’artistes, and others were designed especially for him as gifts or greetings. The collection of owls began with a visit to the artist Roger Chastel (1897-1981) in 1952, where he witnessed the printing of Le Bestiaire de Paul Eluard. In a subsequent article (“Genesis and Growth of a Collection”, for Connoisseur, 1972) he explained: “My article on Chastel’s Bestiaire had the happy result of bringing me a special print on Auvergne paper of the owl which I had admired in the book. Contacts in the art-world of Paris are close and friendly, and I was marked down as an owl-man, in consequence of which I have gradually been given dedicated owl prints and originals in every medium from pen and ink to enamel…”


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Pencil and lithograph on paper
Brief description
Greeting card with drawing of owl and flowers, by Walter Spitzer, 1960-1970.
Physical description
New Year greetings card with a lithograph of a female nude watching an artist while he paints a still life of flowers. On the left, the artist has written a greeting which includes a pencil drawing of an owl with a branch in its mouth.
Dimensions
  • Height: 16.2cm
  • Width: 39.8cm
  • Folded width: 19.9cm
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'W. Spitzer' (Artist signature in pencil, lower right.)
  • 'Merci pour vos voeux / -Je vous present des fleurs / + une [drawing of an owl] l'"inevitable" ! pour vous / souhaite une joyeux / nouvelle année / votre Walter' (Inscribed on left hand side of card.)
    Translation
    Thank you for your greetings / I present you some flowers and an [drawing of an owl] the "inevitable" ! to wish you a happy / New Year / yours Walter
Credit line
Bequeathed by Walter Strachan
Object history
This forms part of a collection of prints, drawings and paintings of owls bequeathed to the V&A by Walter Strachan (1903-1994). Strachan, a scholar and collector of Livres d'Artistes, became friendly with a large number of artists, who, on hearing that he had a fondness for owls, began sending him images to add to his collection.
Production
Reason For Production: Private
Subjects depicted
Summary
Walter Spitzer (born 1927) was a printer and painter who continually alternated between the two media and this is shown by the range of techniques used in the images of owls which he gave to poet and scholar Walter Strachan (1903-1994). He was known for his skill with colour, which he used quite vividly.

Poet and scholar Walter Strachan (1903-1994) was fascinated by the art of the book. His interest was inspired by a visit to an exhibition of artists’ books at the National Gallery in London in May 1945. In due course he wrote many articles on the subject, as well as a major reference work, The Artist and the Book in France (published 1969); he also encouraged successive Keepers of the National Art Library at the V&A “to buy them for England.” To this end he visited France every year, to meet the artists, and acquired proof pages to illustrate his articles and to show to potential purchasers of the books, including the V&A. Over the years he amassed a collection of images of owls; some of these were illustrations from livres d’artistes, and others were designed especially for him as gifts or greetings. The collection of owls began with a visit to the artist Roger Chastel (1897-1981) in 1952, where he witnessed the printing of Le Bestiaire de Paul Eluard. In a subsequent article (“Genesis and Growth of a Collection”, for Connoisseur, 1972) he explained: “My article on Chastel’s Bestiaire had the happy result of bringing me a special print on Auvergne paper of the owl which I had admired in the book. Contacts in the art-world of Paris are close and friendly, and I was marked down as an owl-man, in consequence of which I have gradually been given dedicated owl prints and originals in every medium from pen and ink to enamel…”
Collection
Accession number
E.262-1994

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Record createdSeptember 27, 2005
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