Skip to main content

Fernand Léger More 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.

to
1
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
115
267
225
125
116
1
1
Artist: Fernand Léger
Le Toit
Le Toit

Le Toit

By Fernand Léger

Located in New York, NY

Gouache and watercolor on paper, 1950. Initialed by the artist "FL" and dated "50" lower right. Exhibition History: Blue Moon Gallery/Lerner-Heller Gallery, New York, "An intimate ...

Category

1950s Modern Fernand Léger More Art

Materials

Gouache, Watercolor

Yellow Carpet 9 - After Fernand Léger
Yellow Carpet 9 - After Fernand Léger

Yellow Carpet 9 - After Fernand Léger

By Fernand Léger

Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Jaune No. 9 / Yellow Carpet 9 - After Fernand Léger Signed Wool Limited edition of 100 copies Modern Masters Tapestries, Inc L224xD113 Price : 17900 euros

Category

2010s Fernand Léger More Art

Materials

Wool

Related Items
1950s "Mound Street" Mid Century Figurative Painting American Modernist
1950s "Mound Street" Mid Century Figurative Painting American Modernist

1950s "Mound Street" Mid Century Figurative Painting American Modernist

By Donald Stacy

Located in Arp, TX

Donald Stacy "Mound Street" c. 1950s Gouache paint on paper 24" x 18'" unframed Unsigned Came from artist's estate For sale is a striking black and white painting titled "Mound Stre...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Fernand Léger More Art

Materials

Paper, Gouache

A Stylish, Colorful, Mid-Century Modern 1950s Abstract Geometric Textile Design
A Stylish, Colorful, Mid-Century Modern 1950s Abstract Geometric Textile Design

A Stylish, Colorful, Mid-Century Modern 1950s Abstract Geometric Textile Design

By Andre Delfau

Located in Chicago, IL

A stylish, colorful 1950s Mid-century Modern abstract geometric textile design (depicting a polychrome patterned design of horizontal bands and spheres in red, blue and green tones) ...

Category

1950s American Modern Fernand Léger More Art

Materials

Paper, Gouache, Graphite

Modern Orange, Brown, Yellow, and Black Geometric Abstract Pattern Painting
Modern Orange, Brown, Yellow, and Black Geometric Abstract Pattern Painting

Modern Orange, Brown, Yellow, and Black Geometric Abstract Pattern Painting

By John Little

Located in Houston, TX

Modern orange, brown, yellow, and black geometric abstract composition by textile designer John Little. The work was created as a proposed design for a wallpaper and features the original color codes in the front lower left corner. Currently hung in a solid black frame with a large white margin. Dimensions Without Frame: H 35.5 in. x W 33.5 in. Artist Biography: A painter and textile designer, John Little is best known for gestural works filled with boldly explosive color that reflect the influences of his teacher Hans Hofmann and for his involvement in the Abstract Expressionist movement in East Hampton, where he moved in the late 1940s. In East Hampton Little congregated with Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, and the other artists who were the leading innovators in the New York School. John Little was born in Sanford, Alabama. He left home at the age of fourteen to become an artist, and moved to Buffalo, New York, in 1923. After spending a year working as a stevedore on the docks to save money, he enrolled at the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy and developed an interest in singing. In 1927 he moved to New York City where he continued his vocal work and studied operatic literature. He also became involved in textile design, opening his own store in 1920, called John Little Studios: Fabric and Wallpaper Design. He ran the store until 1950. In 1933 John Little resumed his painting studies at the Art Students League in New York under the guidance of George Grosz (1893-1959). The following year he made his first visit to East Hampton, Long Island, which he would eventually call home. Later in the decade, he traveled to Paris where he became familiar with European modernism. On his return to America, he taught textile design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He hired Josephine Watkins to work for him; she later became his wife. Little's textile store and teaching job gave him a financial security that was rare during the Depression, and he never found it necessary to find employment with the Works Progress Administration. At the end of the decade, John Little studied with Hans Hofmann (1880-1966) in New York and Provincetown. Little was greatly influenced by Hofmann, particularly by his views on color theory. In 1942 John Little joined the Navy as an aerial photographer. In the late 1940s he purchased a rundown house on Three Mile Harbor...

Category

Early 20th Century Modern Fernand Léger More Art

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Worms and Sun, American Modern Gouache and Watercolor on Paper, 1963

Worms and Sun, American Modern Gouache and Watercolor on Paper, 1963

By Alexander Calder

Located in New York, NY

Alexander Calder (1898-1976) American, Lawnton, PA - New York, NY “Worms and Sun” 1963 Gouache and watercolor and paper 29 ½ x 21 ½ in. unframed 36 ⅞ x 27 ⅞ in. framed Signed and da...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Fernand Léger More Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Gouache

Oignons Croises Original Gouache Painting by Alexander Calder
Oignons Croises Original Gouache Painting by Alexander Calder

Oignons Croises Original Gouache Painting by Alexander Calder

By Alexander Calder

Located in Palm Beach, FL

Gouache and ink on paper; Signed "Calder 65" Calder Foundation Registration #A11309 Provenance: Galerie Maeght, Paris 1965; J.L. Hudson Co., Detroit, 1969; Private collection, IL 19...

Category

1960s Modern Fernand Léger More Art

Materials

Gouache

Large Hudson River Figurative Modernist Landscape Oil Painting Edward Avedisian
Large Hudson River Figurative Modernist Landscape Oil Painting Edward Avedisian

Large Hudson River Figurative Modernist Landscape Oil Painting Edward Avedisian

By Edward Avedisian

Located in Surfside, FL

Edward Avedisian ( 1936-2007 ) Gouache or oil on paper, 3 guys around a car, hand signed in paint lower left, Measures 30"x 22.5" Edward Avedisian (June 15, 1936, Lowell, Massac...

Category

20th Century American Modern Fernand Léger More Art

Materials

Oil, Gouache, Archival Paper

1950s "Rectangle" Mid Century Abstract Gouache Painting
1950s "Rectangle" Mid Century Abstract Gouache Painting

1950s "Rectangle" Mid Century Abstract Gouache Painting

Located in Arp, TX

Opper Estate Maroon Abstract c. 1940-1950's Gouache on Paper 15" x 18" Unframed From the estate of Ruth Friedmann Opper & Jerry Opper. Ruth was the daughter of Bauhaus artist, Gustav Friedmann. San Francisco Abstract Expression A free-spirited wave of creative energy swept through the San Francisco art community after World War II. Challenging accepted modes of painting, Abstract Expressionists produced highly experimental works that jolted the public out of its postwar complacency. Abstract Expressionism resulted from a broad collective impulse rather than the inspiration of a small band of New York artists. Documenting the interchanges between the East and West Coasts, she cites areas of mutual influence and shows the impact of San Francisco on the New York School, including artists such as Mark Rothko and Ad Reinhardt. San Francisco's Beat poets...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Fernand Léger More Art

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Refleksy (Reflexes), Mid-Century Wool Tapestry, Abstract Textile Wall Sculpture
Refleksy (Reflexes), Mid-Century Wool Tapestry, Abstract Textile Wall Sculpture

Refleksy (Reflexes), Mid-Century Wool Tapestry, Abstract Textile Wall Sculpture

Located in Wilton, CT

Refleksy (Reflexes), flax (linen) and wool, 50" x 48" x 2", 1973. This warm, vivid Mid-Century tapestry, Refleksy (1973) is by Polish textile artist, ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Fernand Léger More Art

Materials

Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool, Linen, Thread

Harbor Party, Modern Gouache by John von Wicht
Harbor Party, Modern Gouache by John von Wicht

Harbor Party, Modern Gouache by John von Wicht

By John von Wicht

Located in Long Island City, NY

Harbor Party by John von Wicht, German (1888–1970) Date: circa 1965 Gouache and Pastel on Japon, signed in pencil lower right Size: 15.5 x 23 in. (39.37 x 58.42 cm) Frame Size: 22 x ...

Category

1960s Modern Fernand Léger More Art

Materials

Gouache, Oil Pastel

Ceri Richards - Lyre Bird (Design for cover of Poetry London), 1943 mixed media
Ceri Richards - Lyre Bird (Design for cover of Poetry London), 1943 mixed media

Ceri Richards - Lyre Bird (Design for cover of Poetry London), 1943 mixed media

Located in New York, NY

Ceri Richards Lyre Bird (Design for the cover of Poetry London), 1943 Ink, gouache and pastel on paper Bears original Jonathan Clark & Co. label on the back of the frame Unique Fram...

Category

1940s Modern Fernand Léger More Art

Materials

Oil Pastel, Ink, Gouache, Mixed Media

Modern Light Blue, Brown, and Black Geometric Abstract Circle Pattern Painting
Modern Light Blue, Brown, and Black Geometric Abstract Circle Pattern Painting

Modern Light Blue, Brown, and Black Geometric Abstract Circle Pattern Painting

By John Little

Located in Houston, TX

Modern light blue, brown, and black geometric abstract circle pattern painting by textile designer John Little. The work was created as a proposed design for a wallpaper and features the original color codes in the front lower left corner. Currently hung in a solid black frame with a large white margin. Dimensions Without Frame: H 32.75 in. x W 35.63 in. Artist Biography: A painter and textile designer, John Little is best known for gestural works filled with boldly explosive color that reflect the influences of his teacher Hans Hofmann and for his involvement in the Abstract Expressionist movement in East Hampton, where he moved in the late 1940s. In East Hampton Little congregated with Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, and the other artists who were the leading innovators in the New York School. John Little was born in Sanford, Alabama. He left home at the age of fourteen to become an artist, and moved to Buffalo, New York, in 1923. After spending a year working as a stevedore on the docks to save money, he enrolled at the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy and developed an interest in singing. In 1927 he moved to New York City where he continued his vocal work and studied operatic literature. He also became involved in textile design, opening his own store in 1920, called John Little Studios: Fabric and Wallpaper Design. He ran the store until 1950. In 1933 John Little resumed his painting studies at the Art Students League in New York under the guidance of George Grosz (1893-1959). The following year he made his first visit to East Hampton, Long Island, which he would eventually call home. Later in the decade, he traveled to Paris where he became familiar with European modernism. On his return to America, he taught textile design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He hired Josephine Watkins to work for him; she later became his wife. Little's textile store and teaching job gave him a financial security that was rare during the Depression, and he never found it necessary to find employment with the Works Progress Administration. At the end of the decade, John Little studied with Hans Hofmann (1880-1966) in New York and Provincetown. Little was greatly influenced by Hofmann, particularly by his views on color theory. In 1942 John Little joined the Navy as an aerial photographer. In the late 1940s he purchased a rundown house on Three Mile Harbor...

Category

Early 20th Century Modern Fernand Léger More Art

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Previously Available Items
Le Cirque - Vintage Rare Book Illustrated by Fernand Léger - 1950
Le Cirque - Vintage Rare Book Illustrated by Fernand Léger - 1950

Le Cirque - Vintage Rare Book Illustrated by Fernand Léger - 1950

By Fernand Léger

Located in Roma, IT

Le Cirque is an original modern rare book illustrated by Fernand Léger (Argentan, 1881 - Gif-sur-Yvette, 1955) in 1950. Published by Tériade Éditions, Paris. Original edition including 75 original lithographs by Fernand Leger (33 in color and 42 black and white). Edition of 300 copies, numbered and hand signed. The edition was 280 numbered in Arabic numerals and 20 hors-commerce in Roman numerals. This is number 51 from the edition of 280, signed on the colophon. Format: in folio. Cloth chemise and matching slipcase. 111 pages. Mint conditions. Fernand Léger (Argentan, 1881 - Gif-sur-Yvette, 1955) in 1950. Léger had been painting in a style that mixed Impressionism with Fauvism. Under the influence of his new environment, he abandoned those styles for a more Cubist approach. At the time, Picasso and Braque’s Cubist...

Category

1950s Surrealist Fernand Léger More Art

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

Le Cirque.
Le Cirque.

Fernand LégerLe Cirque., 1950

Sold

H 17.33 in W 13.39 in

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 More Art

Materials

Paper

Fernand Leger " composition "
Fernand Leger " composition "

Fernand Leger " composition "

By Fernand Léger

Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Fernand Leger Composition Issue of the portfolio Twelve contemporaries Éditions d'art du Lion . Paris 1959 Published in 1000 copies Signature in the b...

Category

1950s Fernand Léger More Art

Materials

Paper

Fernand Léger more art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Fernand Léger more art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of more 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 yellow and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Fernand Léger in fabric, wool and more. Not every interior allows for large Fernand Léger more art, so small editions measuring 45 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Mr. Brainwash, L.G., and Laurence de Valmy . Fernand Léger more art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $19,484 and tops out at $19,484, while the average work can sell for $19,484.