Cubism

French painter, born at Argentan. Normandy. He was apprenticed to an architect in Caen. 1897-9. and then worked as a draughtsman in an architect's office in Paris, 1900-2, and as a photographic retoucher, 1903-4.

In 1903, he failed the entrance examination for the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Paris, and studied at the Ecole des Arts Decoratifs and the Acadimie Julian. From (c. 1909 he was associated with the (CUBISTS and from 1911 was a member of the informal PUTEAUX. group. In 1913, he signed a contract with D.-H. KAHNWEILER. During his Cubist period his tubular and curvilinear abstractions contrasted with the rectilinear forms preferred by PICASSO and BRAQUE and c. 19I I he was the first of the Cubists to experiment with non-figurative abstraction.

After having been gassed in the war, he was discharged in 1917 and formed a friendship with LE CORBUSIER and OZENFANT. He collaborated with Ozenfant in the ATELIER LIBRE and in 1925 he exhibited at Le Corbusier`s Pavilion de I`Esprit Nouveau. In 1925 also he did mural decorations in collaboration with DELAUNAY for the entry hall of the exhibition 'Les Arts Dicoratifs'. During this period of his association with ...

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