Fernand Léger; Paris – New York at Fondation Beyeler on artrepublic.com

Destroy

The exhibition opens with the Cubist early work, done in Paris, followed by the legendary series of paintings on big-city themes from the years after 1918. From the formally highly developed still lifes and figures of the 1920s and 30s, the presentation continues with the joie de vivre of the monumental Divers, then concludes with the late work and its revelling in color.

Special attention is paid to the American aspects of Fernand Leger’s oeuvre. The French artist spent several periods in the U.S., the last from 1940-45 as an emigré in New York. He was impressed by the great country, its architecture, modernity and dynamism, and this left obvious traces in outstanding works of this period.

At the same time, Léger himself exerted a strong influence on American art. The exhibition sheds light on this intriguing phenomenon for the first time, by including major works by American artists who were inspired by Léger – Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Ellsworth Kelly, and others. Léger awaits rediscovery as a father of Pop Art and a model for further, contemporary approaches.

OPENING HOURS: Daily: 10.00 - 18.00, Wed: 10.00 - 20.00

Image Credits:

Image 1: Fernand Léger, Les disques, 1918The Disks, Oil on canvas, 240 x 180 cm, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, © 2008, Pro Litteris, Zurich

Slide Show:

Fernand Léger, La grande Julie, 1945, Big JulieOil on canvas, 111.8 x 127.3 cm, Museum of Modern Art, New York, acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest, 1945, © 2008, Digital image, The Museum of Modern Art, New York / Scala Florence / ProLitteris, Zurich

Roy Lichtenstein, Stepping Out, 1978Beim Herausgehen Oil and Magna on canvas, 218.4 x 177.8 cm, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, © 2008, ProLitteris, Zürich

Fernand Léger, Les constructeurs, 1950, The Construction Workers, Oil on canvas, 126 x 143 cmHenie-Onstad Art Center, Høvikodden, © 2008, ProLitteris, Zurich