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.
$30,000
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 ...
Gouache, Watercolor
Price Upon Request
Statuette au Vase Jaune, painting by Fernand Leger c.1949
By Fernand Léger
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Fernand Leger, French (1881 - 1955) Title: Statuette au Vase Jaune Year: circa 1949 Medium: Gouache on Paper, dedicated (a Nicole) l.r. Size: 5 x 5 ...
Gouache
$6,800
H 15.5 in W 14.5 in D 16 in
Saturday Evening Post Illustration. “ The Devil’s Stronghold” Original Magazine
By Edwin Georgi
Located in Miami, FL
The work is mostly black and white to indicate that this is a night scene. On closer inspection, you will see areas of magenta and ivory throughout The publisher's label on verso ide...
Gouache, Illustration Board, India Ink, Pencil
Basketball Player
By Ben Shahn
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Basketball Player Gouache on card stock, c. 1940 Signed by the artist in ink lower center A study for the fresco mural in the Social Security Buildin...
Gouache
$796Sale Price|20% Off
H 33 in W 45 in D 2 in
Antique American Modernist Nature Study Lake Landscape Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist landscape oil painting. Oil on canvas, circa 1940. Signed illegibly lower left. Image size, 36L x 24H. Housed in a period modern frame.
Canvas, Oil, Gouache
$495
H 20 in W 17 in D 1 in
Vintage European Modernist Signed 1969 Landscape Coastal Signed Framed Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist coastal seascape painting. Mixed media on board. Framed. Measuring: 17 by 20 inches overall. Excellent condition, ready to hang and enjoy.
Watercolor, Gouache, Board
"Orange Face"
By Rolph Scarlett
Located in Southampton, NY
Circa 1945 Signed lower left Sight size 12 x 10.5 in Overall size in newly matted one inch wide black frame 25.5 x 21.5 in
Gouache, Paper
$385
H 26 in W 20 in D 0.13 in
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 Wedge Star pattern in red, white and blue tones) by notable costume, set and fa...
Paper, Ink, Gouache, Graphite
$130,000
H 21.25 in W 29.25 in
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...
Gouache
$9,500
H 20 in W 22 in
House Beautiful Cover Proposal. American Scene Social Realism Industrial WPA
By Antonio Petruccelli
Located in New York, NY
House Beautiful Cover Proposal. American Scene Social Realism Industrial WPA Antonio Petruccelli (1907 – 1994) Mixing Mortar 12 1/2 X 14 3/4 inche...
Gouache, Board
"Windows"
By Jacob Lawrence
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Jim's of Lambertville Fine Art Gallery is proud to present this work by Jacob Lawrence (1917 – 2000). Provenance: This painting is from the private collection of Gwen Lawrence, widow of Jacob Lawrence. Exhibitions: An attached photo (3rd photo) of the back of the piece shows its extensive exhibition history. Biography: Leading African-American narrative painter, Jacob Lawrence was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1917. After his father abandoned his family in 1924, Lawrence spent several years in foster homes before reuniting with his mother in 1930 in Harlem, New York. In New York, he attended art classes organized at the Harlem Art Workshop with Charles Aston and the Harlem Community Art Center with Augusta Savage. There, he met fellow young painters, Aaron Douglas, and William Johnson...
Gouache
Ladies in conversation
Located in Genève, GE
Work on paper Golden wooden frame with glass pane 38.7 x 31 x 1.5 cm
Crayon, Watercolor, Gouache
$14,000
H 20 in W 16 in
Original Painting. New Yorker Mag Cover Proposal WPA Mid Century American Scene
By Antonio Petruccelli
Located in New York, NY
Original Painting. New Yorker Mag Cover Proposal WPA Mid Century American Scene Antonio Petruccelli (1907 – 1994) Perplexed Gentleman New Yorker cover proposal, c. 1939 13 1/4 X 8 ...
Gouache, Board
$14,000
H 20 in W 17 in
Bricklayers House Beautiful Cover Proposal American Scene Modern 1930s Workers
By Antonio Petruccelli
Located in New York, NY
Bricklayers House Beautiful Cover Proposal American Scene Modern WPA 1930s Industrial Workers Antonio Petruccelli (1907 - 1994) Brick Layers House Beautiful cover proposal, c. 1939 ...
Gouache, Board
Sold
H 11.23 in W 18.12 in
Fernand Léger, Authentic Gouache on Paper, Nature morte aux pots, 1951
By Fernand Léger
Located in Paris, FR
Fernand Léger, Nature morte aux pots, 1951 – Original Gouache on Paper This vibrant gouache on paper by Fernand Léger (1881–1955) captures the artist’s signature modernist vocabular...
Paper, Gouache
Architectural Composition
By Fernand Léger
Located in Austin, TX
By Fernand Léger Medium: Mixed Media on Paper Size: 28" x 21" Framed Size: 39.25" x 32" An glorious example of a Master Cubist, Fernand Léger, featuring bold primaries and stately s...
Archival Paper, Gouache
Étude pour Gaz de France
By Fernand Léger
Located in London, GB
Sight size: 38.5 x 49 cm (15 ½ x 19 ⅛ inches) Sheet size: 52 x 76 cm (20 ½ x 29 ⅜ inches) Signed with the estate monogram stamp, F.L. This work is accompanied by a photo certif...
Gouache, Mixed Media, Paper