"Joie de Vivre" Kite by Michael Thompson

2023
$4,880 USD
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Dimensions
W: 58.0" D: 2.0" H: 38.25"
Materials
Materials
Paper
Bamboo
Fabric
Muslin
Purchase Quantity
Collection #
CMT229
Estimated Shipping
$488

Chicago-based artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites crafted from split bamboo frames covered with stretched muslin and a collage of vintage Asian ephemera - including fragments of fabric, scrolls, drawings, and books collected during his travels.

In this kite entitled "Joie de Vivre," Thompson creates a delicate composition from antique wallpaper and vintage print ephemera. Arranged at the center are several black and white prints of fine Chinese porcelains, enclosed by a makeshift border as though the viewer is peering through a window at a fine parlor or tea shop. The surreal interior setting is surrounded with layered paper fragments in a neutral palette of green and off-white, slightly yellowed in keeping with the vintage feel.

Thompson has earned an international reputation for his kite works, an engrossing project initiated by the artist more than a decade ago.

Split bamboo, muslin, found paper, fabric, pigments.

Questions? Ask us
Michael Thompson

b. 1951

Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past & present. 

His body of work spans across a range of art forms, from experimental postal art to paper collage to sculptures assembled from scrap metal and ceramic shards.

Regardless of the medium, each of Thompson’s works is layered with fragments of past lives and bygone memories, measured in the form of antique fabric remnants, printed ephemera and other found elements collected during his travels.

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What They're Saying

Elizabeth Krueger | Elizabeth Krueger Design

“PAGODA RED was extremely supportive in helping to pull accessory options together for the Lake Forest Showhouse. After providing them with details and our vision on how we were looking to finish our space, Laurene helped curate options that made it easy for us to edit and finalize. It's also no surprise that the unique pieces we used in our showhouse space were some of the first to sell.”

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