Fernand Léger (1881-1951)

Fernand Léger developed a work that was both highly personal and imbued with the major trends of modernity that characterized the first half of the 20th century. The color, the decomposition of forms, the rhythm of life and the modern city as well as its mechanistic imagery are omnipresent in his works. His particular way of designating volumes earned him the name "tubist" coined by the critic Louis Vauxcelles.

 

Walter Limot / Carnavalet Museum / Roger-Viollet

Biography

Fernand Léger is one of the great figures of modern art in the first half of the 20th century. His work is highly personal, immediately identifiable and firmly rooted in his era.

His family intended him to become an architect. In 1900, he left his native Normandy for Paris. As a free student, he attended the classes of painter Jean-Léon Gérôme at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, then those of his successor Gabriel Ferrier. He also attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. His early works are marked by Impressionism.

The discovery of Cézanne's work, particularly at the retrospective devoted to him by the Salon d'Automne in 1907, was a revelation, as it was for many other artists of his generation, including Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Read more here.

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