Fernand Léger

04.02.1881 Argentan (Normandie) - 17.08.1955 Gif-sur-Yvette

Alfred Flechtheim and Fernand Léger

The French artist Fernand Léger initially trained as an architect from 1897–99 in Caen before moving to Paris around 1900 where he attended courses at the École des Arts Décoratifs and the Académie Julian in 1903/04. After an Impressionist start and a lean towards Cézanne he then turned more to Cubism. He was especially influenced by the works of Picasso and Georges Braque. In 1908 he shared a studio with Henri Laurens, Marc Chagall and Guillaume Apollinaire. Around 1910 his work was marked by geometrical abstract forms with cubes, cylinders and cones and later by contrasting colours and shapes of a greater plastic intensity. His ‚période mécanique’ with depictions of technical objects and anonymous, engineered figures began after he was wounded in World War I. He founded the magazine L’Esprit Nouveau in 1920 with Le Corbusier. In 1924 he made the seminal experimental film ‚Le ballet mécanique’. In 1929 and 1932 he held teaching posts in Paris. In the 1930s and 1940s his work was markedly Surrealist. In 1940 he moved to the United States where he lectured at Yale University, returning to Paris in 1945. In 1952 he designed a wall painting for the UN building in New York.

From 1917 onwards, Flechtheim regularly included works by Léger in group exhibitions with other artists of his generation. In 1928 Flechtheim held the largest show of Léger’s work up until that time with 100 paintings, watercolours, gouaches and drawings. Flechtheim also collected Léger’s works privately as can be seen in photographs of the art dealer’s flat in Bleibtreustrasse in Berlin from around 1929. In 1937 Flechtheim gave the painting ‚La Noce’ to the French state in his effort to achieve citizenship. It had been in his collection since 1913 and he had managed to take it with him when he fled to London via Zurich and Paris.

Individual exhibitons at the Galerie Flechtheim

Februar–März 1928

Fernand Léger
Berlin, Lützowufer 13

Group exhibitions at the Galerie Flechtheim

Juli–September 1920

Sommer 1920. Ostasiatische Gemälde. Künstler vom Niederrhein, aus Westfalen und Frankreich
Düsseldorf, Königsallee 34

Oktober 1921

Eröffnungsausstellung: Deutsche und französische Kunst aus des XX. Jahrhunderts Beginn
Berlin, Lützowufer 13

März–April 1922

Das schwedische Ballett
Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, (Lützowufer, Königsallee, Gärtnerweg 63)

Dezember 1924

Stilleben
Düsseldorf, Königsallee 34