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Fernand Léger Art

French, 1881-1955

A painter as well as a filmmaker, illustrator, stage-set designer, ceramicist and printmaker, Fernand Léger was one of the most prolific artists of the first half of the 20th century. His early mature work as a Cubist was marked by the use of bold colors and contrasts and a visual vocabulary inspired by industrial technology. In his later career, Léger turned to idiomatic, almost naïve depictions of human figures, in a belief that his work should be accessible to ordinary people and relevant to their lives.

Born in Normandy, the son of a cattle trader, Léger worked as an architectural draftsman in Paris while studying art. By 1908 he was a member of an artistic circle that included Marc Chagall, Robert Delaunay, sculptor Jacques Lipchitz, and the poet Guillaume Appolinaire, and through them he became connected to the Cubists. As opposed to the flat planes and neutral hues seen in the paintings of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, Léger’s Cubist abstractions were devised with vivid colors and forms that had dimensionality. Soon after his army service in World War I — he was gassed at the Battle of Verdun — Léger entered his “mechanical” period. Convinced that technology would improve the human condition, he painted compositions of tubular shapes and cylinders that are reminiscent of machine parts. In other work, Léger sought to capture the bustle and brio of modern life with references to railroad stations, factories, street signs and billboards.

Léger had also emerged from the trenches with a deep concern to make his art engage the sorts of men and women he had met during the war. He sought to bring his work to a wider audience through film, theater sets and book illustrations. In the 1920s, influenced by Purism — a variant on Cubism that promoted a simpler and more direct approach to forms and compositions — Léger produced a series of paintings depicting everyday objects: a soda siphon, an accordion, a guitar and vase. The human figure returned to his work. By 1930, pure abstraction disappeared almost completely from Léger’s art in favor of simple studies of people. Their boldly outlined forms, placed against a bright background, can be regarded as an assemblage of parts — yet in these representations of dancers, acrobats and folks on bicycles, Léger seems to be articulating a kind of kinship and affection. You will see from the works on offer why Fernand Léger is often regarded as the warmest and most humane of the great modern artists.

Find a collection of original Fernand Léger art today on 1stDibs.

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Artist: Fernand Léger
Recognized Seller Listings
"Marie l'acrobate" L'Atelier Mourlot by Fernand Leger, 1984
By Fernand Léger
Located in New York, NY
Artist: Fernand Leger Medium: Lithographic Poster, 1984 Dimensions: 28.5 x 20.5 in, 72.4 x 52.1 cm Classic Poster Paper - Perfect Condition A+ This colorful lithographic poster w...
Category

1980s Fernand Léger Art

Materials

Lithograph

Musée Cantini lithographic poster by Fernand Leger, 1966
By Fernand Léger
Located in New York, NY
This lithographic poster was printed in 1966 at the Atelier Mourlot in Paris to promote an exhibition of Leger's works at the Musée Cantini in Marseille in the summer of 1966. Leger ...
Category

1960s Abstract Fernand Léger Art

Materials

Lithograph

Tapis Blanc, Fernand Léger, 1920's, Tapestry, Wool, Rug, Design
By Fernand Léger
Located in Geneva, CH
Tapis blanc circa 1927 Hand-knotted wool 260.4 x 146.1 cm Signed and embroidered on the back : LEGER Marie Cuttoli and Lucie Weill Edition. Provenance: Private collection, USA (acquired from Madoura Workshop, Antibes in 1982) Exhibited: Fernand Léger . Peinture dans l'espace, Museum Ludwig of Cologne, from April 9th to July 3rd, 2016, another similar piece exhibited. Literature: Encyclopédie des métiers de l'art : Décoration Moderne Vol.I, Paris, 1930, gouache study illustrated in color under no.10, pl.97. An Exhibition of Contemporary French Tapestries, by Albert Chatelet Constantine, Charles E.Slatkin Galleries, 1965, illustrated in color p. Rob Mallet-Stevens, by S.Day, Paris, 1980, picture of a similar piece in the living room of Robert Mallet-Stevens in Paris, illustrated p.280. Marie Cuttoli, Myrbor et l'invention de la tapisserie moderne, by D.Paulvé, Paris, 2010, similar piece on the archive picture of the the office of Paul du Bousquet decorated by Pierre Barbe...
Category

1920s Art Deco Fernand Léger Art

Materials

Wool

Musée des Arts Decoratifs by Fernand Leger, 1956
By Fernand Léger
Located in New York, NY
Artist: Fernand Leger Medium: Lithographic Poster, 1956 Dimensions: 30 x 20 in, 76.2 x 50.8 cm
Category

1950s Fernand Léger Art

Materials

Lithograph

Maison de la Pensee Francaise by Fernand Leger
By Fernand Léger
Located in New York, NY
Artist: Fernand Leger Medium: Lithographic Poster, 1954 Dimensions: 26.5 x 19.25 in, 67.3 x 48.9 cm This vibrant lithographic poster, created to promote the opening of an exhibiti...
Category

1950s Fernand Léger Art

Materials

Lithograph

From the Series "La Ville"
By Fernand Léger
Located in New York, NY
This lithograph was printed at the Atelier Mourlot in Paris in 1959 and is a part of the "La Ville" portfolio. It is annotated "Epreuve de l'atelier Mourlot /...
Category

1950s Post-War Fernand Léger Art

Materials

Lithograph

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A Paintings Retrospective: vintage LACMA Museum poster depicting her 1963 work
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Helen Frankenthaler (after) A Paintings Retrospective: vintage LACMA Museum poster, 1990 Offset lithograph museum poster (Unsigned & Unnumbered) 37 × 25 inches Unframed This was printed in the artists lifetime - making it more collectible - on the occasion of the exhibition, "Helen Frankenthaler: A Paintings Retrospective from February to April, 1990 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Print is published by Editions Limited Galleries, San Francisco for Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), LA, CA The work depicted is Helen Frankenthaler, The Bay, 1963, acrylic on canvas, Detroit Institute of Arts, Michigan (Incidentally, this beautiful work is featured on the cover of the book Water and Art' by David Clarke.) “What concerns me when I work is not whether a picture is a landscape… or whether somebody will see a sunset in it. What concerns me is, did I make a beautiful picture?” - - Helen Frankenthaler This is Frankenthaler's first silkscreen, produced for the portfolio New York Ten, which includes works by other New York-based artists at the time such as Roy Lichtenstein, Jim Dine, Tom Wesselmann and Claes Oldenburg. (She created her first lithograph in 1961) Other examples of this edition are found in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, MOCA Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum, the Philadelphia Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and numerous regional museums and institutions in the United States and worldwide. Helen Frankenthaler, A Brief Biography Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011), whose career spanned six decades, has long been recognized as one of the great American artists of the twentieth century. She was eminent among the second generation of postwar American abstract painters and is widely credited for playing a pivotal role in the transition from Abstract Expressionism to Color Field painting. Through her invention of the soak-stain technique, she expanded the possibilities of abstract painting, while at times referencing figuration and landscape in unique ways. She produced a body of work whose impact on contemporary art has been profound and continues to grow. Frankenthaler was born on December 12, 1928, and raised in New York City. She attended the Dalton School, where she received her earliest art instruction from Rufino Tamayo. In 1949 she graduated from Bennington College, Vermont, where she was a student of Paul Feeley. She later studied briefly with Hans Hofmann. Frankenthaler’s professional exhibition career began in 1950, when Adolph Gottlieb selected her painting Beach (1950) for inclusion in the exhibition titled Fifteen Unknowns: Selected by Artists of the Kootz Gallery. Her first solo exhibition was presented in 1951, at New York’s Tibor de Nagy Gallery, and that year she was also included in the landmark exhibition 9th St. Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture. In 1952 Frankenthaler created Mountains and Sea, a breakthrough painting of American abstraction for which she poured thinned paint directly onto raw, unprimed canvas laid on the studio floor, working from all sides to create floating fields of translucent color. Mountains and Sea was immediately influential for the artists who formed the Color Field school of painting, notable among them Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland. As early as 1959, Frankenthaler began to be a regular presence in major international exhibitions. 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Glamour - Porcelain Collector Plate - 1990
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Mick Jagger V - Andy Warhol, Announcement card, Rolling Stones, Musician, Pop
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1990s Art Deco Fernand Léger Art

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Previously Available Items
Le Travail by Fernand Leger, 1951
By Fernand Léger
Located in New York, NY
Artist: Fernand Leger Medium: Lithographic Poster, 1951 Dimensions: 30.25 x 20.5 in, 76.8 x 52.1 cm Classic Poster Paper - Perfect Condition A+ Lithographic poster for the "Salon...
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1950s Fernand Léger Art

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Les Soldats - "La Ville" by Fernand Leger, 1959
By Fernand Léger
Located in New York, NY
This lithograph by Fernand Leger is from the portfolio entitled "La Ville" (The City) which consists of 29 lithographs featuring scenes of people, life and emotions of Paris. The art...
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1950s Modern Fernand Léger Art

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Les Deux Amoureux, Musee de Lyon, Lithograph, 1955
By Fernand Léger
Located in New York, NY
"Colour is a human need like water and fire. It is a raw material indispensable to life" - Fernand Leger This gorgeous lithographic poster ad...
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1950s Fernand Léger Art

Materials

Lithograph

Musée Cantini by Fernand Leger lithographic poster
By Fernand Léger
Located in New York, NY
This lithographic poster was printed in 1966 at the Atelier Mourlot in Paris to promote an exhibition of Leger's works at the Musée Cantini in Marseille in the summer of 1966. Leger ...
Category

1960s Abstract Fernand Léger Art

Materials

Lithograph

Musée Cantini by Fernand Leger lithographic poster
By Fernand Léger
Located in New York, NY
This lithographic poster was printed in 1966 at the Atelier Mourlot in Paris to promote an exhibition of Leger's works at the Musée Cantini in Marseille in the summer of 1966. Leger ...
Category

1960s Abstract Fernand Léger Art

Materials

Lithograph

La Piscine (The Pool) From the Series "La Ville" by Fernand Leger
By Fernand Léger
Located in New York, NY
This lithograph was printed on arches paper at the Atelier Mourlot in Paris in 1959 and is a part of the "La Ville" portfolio. It is annotated "BAT pour Madame Léger" beneath the ima...
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1950s Post-War Fernand Léger Art

Materials

Lithograph

Le Cirque.
By Fernand Léger
Located in New York, NY
LÉGER, Fernand. Le Cirque. Illustrated with 75 lithographs by Léger, of which 33 are printed in colour and 42 in black (unsigned). Folio, 440 x 340, boun...
Category

1950s Fernand Léger Art

Materials

Paper

Le Cirque.
Le Cirque.
H 17.33 in W 13.39 in
Les Danseuses (Fond jaune) - Léger, Print, Lithograph, Figurative art, Modern.
By Fernand Léger
Located in London, GB
Lithograph printed in colours. Signed in pencil and inscribed 'Bon a Tirer'. A proof before the edition of 75. Printed on Arches paper by Mourlot, Paris. Published by Galerie Lou...
Category

1950s Surrealist Fernand Léger Art

Materials

Lithograph

La Femme et la fleur
By Fernand Léger
Located in London, GB
Lithograph printed in colours. Signed in ink and inscribed 'Epreuve d'artiste' in pencil. An artist's proof aside from the edition of 75. Printed on Arches paper by Mourlot, Paris...
Category

1950s Surrealist Fernand Léger Art

Materials

Lithograph

La Vachere
By Fernand Léger
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Signed in ink (faded as is usual for this image) Edition: 75 Provenance: Mr. and Ms. I. B. Rosenbaum, Cincinnati, Ohio Dr. and Ms. Max F. Baer, Washington D.C. Gift to family me...
Category

1950s Modern Fernand Léger Art

Materials

Lithograph

Le Loisirs sur Fond Rouge
By Fernand Léger
Located in Palm Desert, CA
A figurative abstract screen print executed in bright primary colors depicting iconic Leger imagery, abstracted figures with bicycles, standing and sitting in the sand, on the beach ...
Category

Early 20th Century Post-War Fernand Léger Art

Materials

Screen

Untitled
By Fernand Léger
Located in Palm Desert, CA
A figurative abstract screen print executed in bright primary colors depicting iconic Leger imagery, nude, abstracted figures standing and sitting amidst plant life and swirls of col...
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20th Century Post-War Fernand Léger Art

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Screen

Untitled
H 21.5 in W 26.25 in

Fernand Léger art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Fernand Léger art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange, yellow, green and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Fernand Léger in lithograph, paper, stencil and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Fernand Léger art, so small editions measuring 10 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of André Lanskoy, Louise Nevelson, and Rufino Tamayo. Fernand Léger art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $150 and tops out at $183,075, while the average work can sell for $3,000.
Questions About Fernand Léger Art
  • 1stDibs ExpertJanuary 10, 2025
    Fernand Léger was famous for his work as an artist. A painter as well as a filmmaker, illustrator, stage-set designer, ceramicist and printmaker, Léger was one of the most prolific artists of the first half of the 20th century. His early mature work as a Cubist was marked by the use of bold colors and contrasts and a visual vocabulary inspired by industrial technology. In his later career, Léger turned to idiomatic, almost naïve depictions of human figures, in a belief that his work should be accessible to ordinary people and relevant to their lives. Explore a diverse assortment of Fernand Léger art on 1stDibs.

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