Fernand Léger

1881–1955

Fernand Léger, ‘Still Life with a Beer Mug’ 1921–2
Still Life with a Beer Mug 1921–2
© ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2019
License this image

Biography

Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (French: [leʒe]; February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955) was a French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of cubism which he gradually modified into a more figurative, populist style. His boldly simplified treatment of modern subject matter has caused him to be regarded as a forerunner of pop art.

This biography is from Wikipedia under an Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons License. Spotted a problem? Let us know.

Read full Wikipedia entry
Purism Surrealism

Artworks

Left Right
Fernand Léger, ‘Still Life with a Beer Mug’ 1921–2

Fernand Léger Still Life with a Beer Mug

1921–2
On display at Tate Liverpool part of FERNAND LÉGER: NEW TIMES, NEW PLEASURES
Fernand Léger, ‘Two Women Holding Flowers’ 1954

Fernand Léger Two Women Holding Flowers

1954
On display at Tate Liverpool part of FERNAND LÉGER: NEW TIMES, NEW PLEASURES
Fernand Léger, ‘Mechanical Elements’ 1926

Fernand Léger Mechanical Elements

1926
Fernand Léger, ‘The Acrobat and his Partner’ 1948

Fernand Léger The Acrobat and his Partner

1948
On display at Tate Liverpool part of FERNAND LÉGER: NEW TIMES, NEW PLEASURES
Fernand Léger, ‘Leaves and Shell’ 1927

Fernand Léger Leaves and Shell

1927
On display at Tate Liverpool part of FERNAND LÉGER: NEW TIMES, NEW PLEASURES
Fernand Léger, ‘Keys (Composition)’ 1928

Fernand Léger Keys (Composition)

1928
On display at Tate Liverpool part of FERNAND LÉGER: NEW TIMES, NEW PLEASURES
Fernand Léger, ‘ABC’ 1927

Fernand Léger ABC

1927
On display at Tate Liverpool part of FERNAND LÉGER: NEW TIMES, NEW PLEASURES
Fernand Léger, ‘The King of Hearts’ 1949

Fernand Léger The King of Hearts

1949
See all 12

Artist as subject

Left Right
Saloua Raouda Choucair, ‘Composition in Blue Module’ 1947–51

Saloua Raouda Choucair Composition in Blue Module

1947–51
R.B. Kitaj, ‘Mort’ 1966

R.B. Kitaj Mort

1966
View by appointment
James Boswell, ‘Sketchbook, with ‘Chartres 1956’ on the spine’ 1956

James Boswell Sketchbook, with ‘Chartres 1956’ on the spine

1956
View by appointment
Sir Jacob Epstein, recipient: Peggy Jean Lewis, ‘Letter from Jacob Epstein to Peggy Jean’ 31 August [1953]

Sir Jacob Epstein, recipient: Peggy Jean Lewis Letter from Jacob Epstein to Peggy Jean

31 August [1953]
Sidney Janis Gallery, ‘Leaflet for an exhibition entitled, ‘Selection of French Art’ at the Sidney Janis Gallery’ 1955

Sidney Janis Gallery Leaflet for an exhibition entitled, ‘Selection of French Art’ at the Sidney Janis Gallery

1955
Graham Sutherland OM, ‘Sketchbook 37’ [c.1961–7]

Graham Sutherland OM Sketchbook 37

[c.1961–7]
Klaus Hinrichsen, ‘Typescript of ‘Art in Hutchinson Camp - A Personal View’ talk with annotations’ [c.September 1986]

Klaus Hinrichsen Typescript of ‘Art in Hutchinson Camp - A Personal View’ talk with annotations

[c.September 1986]

Ben Nicholson OM List of essays with the heading, ‘Essays by Anatole Jakovski’

date not known
View by appointment

Features

Look Closer

The life and work of Saloua Raouda Choucair

Saloua Raouda Choucair, born in 1916, pioneered abstract art in the Middle East with her paintings, textiles and interlocking sculptures ...

Amédée Ozenfant, ‘Glasses and Bottles’ c.1922–6
Art Term

Purism

Purism was a movement formed around 1918 which proposed a kind of painting in which objects are represented as powerful ...

Digital image of a portrait of Marlow Moss standing by a direction post
Tate Etc

The lonely radical: Marlow Moss at Tate St Ives

Lucy Howarth

At one stage the British artist Marlow Moss was at the heart of the European avant-garde, living in Paris where ...

‘Tous les auteurs’ site, the exhibition’s concluding area, where the visitor could participate in real time in various digital writing experiments
Tate Papers

Les Immatériaux or How to Construct the History of Exhibitions

John Rajchman

Landmark Exhibitions Issue
Isaac Abrams All Things are One Thing 1966
Tate Etc

Use your illusions: The Summer of Love II

Neil Mulholland

Summer of Love: Art of the Psychedelic Era at Tate Liverpool explores the psychedelic in the 1960s. Neil Mullholland explores ...

You might like

Left Right
Natalia Goncharova, ‘Linen’ 1913

Natalia Goncharova

1881–1962
Francis Picabia, ‘Otaïti’ 1930

Francis Picabia

1879–1953
André Masson, ‘Ibdes in Aragon’ 1935

André Masson

1896–1987
Man Ray, ‘Cadeau’ 1921, editioned replica 1972

Man Ray

1890–1976
Hans Bellmer, ‘The Doll’ c.1936

Hans Bellmer

1902–1975
David Bomberg, ‘Trees in Sun, Cyprus’ 1948

David Bomberg

1890–1957
Juan Gris, ‘Bottle of Rum and Newspaper’ 1913–14

Juan Gris

1887–1927
Fernand Léger, ‘Les Objets à Réaction Poetique’ 1931–6

Charlotte Perriand

1903–1999
Jean Dubuffet, ‘Site Inhabited by Objects’ 1965

Jean Dubuffet

1901–1985
Amedeo Modigliani, ‘Head’ c.1911–12

Amedeo Modigliani

1884–1920
Fernand Léger, ‘Les Objets à Réaction Poetique’ 1931–6

Pierre Jeanneret

1896–1967
Stanley William Hayter, ‘Myth of Creation’ 1940

Stanley William Hayter

1901–1988
Ceri Richards, ‘‘Do not go gentle into that good night’’ 1956

Ceri Richards

1903–1971
Georges Braque, ‘Bottle and Fishes’ c.1910–12

Georges Braque

1882–1963
Yves Tanguy, ‘Azure Day’ 1937

Yves Tanguy

1900–1955

In the shop

Browse the shop