Fernand
Leger
Fernand Léger, a French painter, moved to Paris in 1900, where he became friends with Robert Delaunay, Marc Chagall and Blaise Cendrars. From 1910, he adhered to cubism alongside painters. Albert Gleizes and Jean Metzinger. His “Contrasts of forms” propel him into the artistic avant-garde.
During the First War, Léger was sent to the front as a reservist and then a stretcher-bearer. Although he is aware that he is losing precious years, this experience gives him new strength for his work.
In 1917, he signed an important contract with the influential gallery owner Léonce Rosenberg. He undertook major paintings that were increasingly influenced by the theme of modernity. His collaborations multiplied, in particular with Rolf de Maré for the sets and costumes for a ballet, with Robert Mallet-Stevens and Marcel L'Herbier for the film The Inhuman and with Dudley Murphy for Mechanical ballet.
In 1940, when the war interrupted his work again, Léger moved to New York. The modern city inspired him to create his latest major compositions. Back in France at the beginning of 1946, he devoted himself to monumental works, such as the stained glass windows in the Audincourt Church in Doubs.
Five years after his death in 1960, the Fernand Léger Museum was inaugurated in Biot by his heirs. The artist leaves a major artistic imprint, marked by his commitment to modernity, the exploration of forms and contrasts.
