Click here to view artist's works

Fernand Léger (1881-1955)

Fernand Léger was born in Argentan, France in 1881. He is associated with the Cubist movement and was an innovator in abstract art. Léger studied architecture and worked as an apprentice draughtsman in an architect's office. He later served in the Engineering Corps and became involved with stage and film design in Paris. By 1911 he had become friendly with Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso and had exhibited at the Salon des Independants.

Léger was prolific in many media and gained recognition as one of the most prominent artists in Paris in the first half of the 20th century. Besides being a painter, filmmaker and designer, Léger also became successful printmaker, experimenting with lithography. Léger's steady intention was to provide art for the people. His ideas and philosophy attracted many students in both Europe and the Americas. He always had a great interest in industrial evolution and its relationship to man. This became one of the central themes of his oeuvre. Léger continually experimented with color, shape, movement, and space. Geometric forms and elements of a machine culture (cranks, pistons, robots, etc.) were important motifs in his many creations.

In 1940, to escape German forces in Paris, Léger fled to the United States. The industrialism found in America heavily inspired his work of this period. While in the U.S., Léger taught at Yale University and at Mills College, California. Léger returned to France in 1945 and later in his life, he was awarded with many awards and exhibitions. Today his paintings and prints can be seen in prominent museums throughout the world.

back to top