Hutton Wilkinson * Tony Duquette Inc. is a full service interior design firm based in Beverly Hills with current projects in Los Angeles, New York, Palm Beach and Thailand with completed projects in Paris, Venice, Hawaii and Saudi Arabia.
Our Lady Queen of the Angels, 1980
For the bicentennial of the city of Los Angeles, “The City of Our Lady Queen of the Angels on the river Porciúncula”, Tony Duquette, a native son, created a gift for the city to celebrate its poetic and evocative name. For this exhibition, which Duquette called “a celebrational environment” was created with the help of 150 unskilled and untrained volunteers from every ethnic and economic background. The artist created eight, twenty-eight foot tall archangels, four magnificent altars to the elements – air, earth, fire and water – and a series of monumental, jewel-studded fabric mosaic tapestries.
Having been given the vast 100 x 100 foot hall at the armory located at the Museum of Science and Industry at Exposition Park in Los Angeles, Duquette set out to unleash his limitless imagination. From the 80 foot high ceiling, Duquette hung a winged halo and under that he placed a winged pavilion which held an 18 foot tall Madonna, dressed in a gown woven to represent the four seasons, studded with pearls and decorated with bouquets of beaded flowers.
Duquette succeeded in creating an exhibition where the viewer was the center of attention. There was specially composed music by Garth Hudson, and the voice of Charlton Heston reciting a poem in verse to the Madonna, the patroness of Los Angeles, written by Ray Bradbury. All of this set to computerized lighting and special effects which made the Madonna’s face change from black to white to yellow then red.
In researching angels Duquette discovered that every major religion in the world believes in the same eight archangels – Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, even the ancient Maya, Aztec and Inca believed in angels with powers over the elements, wild beasts, music, and of course death.
The exhibition was greeted by popular acclaim at times seeing as many as four thousand visitors each day. After the exhibition closed, the sculptures and tapestries were moved to “the Duquette pavilion” in San Francisco where they were exhibited.
Tragically, this exhibition was completely destroyed in a fire along with the building in which it was housed.
Tony Duquette holding a hat next to Mayor Tom Bradley.
An antique Spanish colonial Madonna from the collections of the count of Alastaya photographed in the Robertson Blvd studio prior to its exhibition as part of Tony Duquette’s Queen of the Angels, celebrational environment c. 1980. (photo by chuck white)
An antique Madonna in a faux malachite shrine by Tony Duquette photographed in the Duquette studios prior to installation as part of Duquette’s Our Lady Queen of the Angels celebrational environment c.1980. (photograph by chuck white)
The archangel Ariel, the angel of the earth is made of malachite copper and emeralds and stands 28 feet tall.
The archangel Zadkiel, the angel over birds and feathered creatures, stands 28 feet tall.
Tony Duquette with volunteer assistant and wife Beegle.
One of the giant 28 foot tall arch angels made as a prototype and erected in front of the stage at the Tony Duquette studios to interest patrons and volunteers in supporting the project.
tony duquette and his volunteer assistant patricia graham creating the queen of the angels exhibit in the workroom which had formerly been the merle oberon theatre adjacent to the robertson blvd studio.
Volunteer seamstress stitches, beads and embroiders one of many Duquette designed tapestries.
The archangel Raphael stand 28 feet tall.
four images from clockwise: #1 four malachite saraphim of the north, south, east and west, these appliqued tapestries were created by tony duquette as part of his exhibition “our lady queen of the angels” c. 1980’s.
An angel of the forest tapestry.
A Goanese holy family carved from ivory tusks form the centerpiece of Duquette’s cabinet de curiosities at his Robertson blvd. studio. c. 1980’s. (photograph by chuck white)
A tapestry depicting the Madonna made of antique velvet brocades and embroideries
The altar of the sea was created using crushed abalone, pearls, coral and bead flowers. An 18th century figure of the Madonna in an 18th century Spanish colonial shrine wore a crown of pearls and coral.
An overview of the celebrational environment which he created to commemorate the bicentennial of the city of Los Angeles and to celebrate the poetry of the city’s name, the city of our lady queen of the angels on the river Porciúncula (the original Spanish name given by the Jesuit fathers who founded Los Angeles).
the altar of the earth had been presented by tony duquette as if it had been pulled from the earth by its roots. orinally in the collection of elsie de wolfe, lady mendl and destined for permanent installation at her house in versaille, this altar was left to duquette upon her death and was installed in this exhibition as the artists tribute to his great patron. c. 1980’s.
#3 the heavenly hosts a fabric mosaic tapestry by tony duquette c. 1980’s
Another angel of the forest tapestry.