Fernand Léger, artiste majeur du XXème siècle

DISCOVER THE MUSÉE NATIONAL FERNAND LÉGER IN BIOT

The Musée National Fernand Léger [Fernand Léger National Museum], devoted to the famous 20th century French artist, Fernand Léger, is a work of art in itself. The establishment that became a national museum in 1969 has since been enlarged and now places modern creations at the heart of its artistic and cultural projects.

A TRIBUTE TO FERNAND LÉGER

Shortly before his death in 1955, the famous painter Fernand Léger purchased Mas Saint André, a villa located on horticultural land at the foot of the village of Biot. He moved here to devote himself to producing his ceramics, close to Vallauris Golfe-Juan, the flagship town for Côte d’Azur ceramics.

On his death, his widow Nadia Léger, and his close collaborator, Georges Bauquier, asked for a museum to be built in tribute to the painter and his works. The design of the Musée National Fernand Légerwas thus entrusted to the Russian architect, Andreï Svetchine and the Mediterranean grounds to the landscape architect Henri Fisch.

Inaugurated in 1960 with the backing of Picasso, Braque and Chagall, the first monographic museum in the region would welcome over 5000 guests.

In 1969 the two founders donated the Musée Léger to the State, which then became a national museum.

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PORTRAIT OF FERNAND LÉGER

Fernand Léger was born in Argentan in Normandy, to a modest family. His father was a cattle merchant. He was raised by his mother, because his father died when he was 4 years old. Not particularly studious, he was, however, good at drawing and took an apprenticeship under an architect in Caen. He set up in Paris in 1900. Rejected by the Beaux-Arts [school], he was accepted at Arts Décoratifs, and at the same time studied at the Académie Julian.

In 1907, he had a studio in La Ruche and met Robert Delaunay, Archipenko, Soutine, Chagall, Henri Laurens, Modigliani and Blaise Cendrars. He then discovered Cézanne, who would influence him. The work of Fernand Léger celebrates machines and modern towns. He conveys the idea of an industrial world. His dream was to reconcile the avant-garde and folk art.

In fact, he produced his first cubist works as of 1909. The cubist painting of Fernand Léger is a deconstruction work on subject and form. The art critic Louis Vauxelles called him a tubist as his forms seemed to be taken from mechanical elements. He painted characters who resembled robots. With a very pronounced sense of colour, different from the painting of Picasso and Braque, his painting is close to abstraction at times. Later, he would add the concept of contrasting forms, lines and colours that would be the cornerstone of all his work in order to assert the vitality of modern life.

“I wanted to mark a return to simplicity by direct art, that everyone can understand, without subtlety.” Fernand Léger

AN OPEN-AIR ARTWORK

While the museum houses the painter’s work, the building itself is an open-air artwork.

In its first version, the building already included an immense mosaic facade, planned by Léger to decorate the Hanover stadium, but which never came to fruition.

During its enlargement in 1987, entrusted to the Ministry of Culture with the help of the architect Bernard Schoebel, a mosaic and two large windows were commissioned from the artist Heidi Melano and the master glassmaker Jacques Loire to enhance the extension.

This makes the museum worthy of being awarded the “Remarkable architecture of the 20th century” label.

The renovation works in 2004, overseen by the architect Marc Barani, allows the permanent collection to be viewed in a better way and in chronological order.

AN ENTIRE CAREER IN ONE COLLECTION

The collection presented at the Musée National Fernand Léger brings together nearly 350 works by the artist, covering his entire career, from his neo-impressionist beginnings up to his major compositions in the 1950s.

Consequently, the museum keeps a large number of graphic artworks, such as models for monumental projects, autonomous works, and even the artist’s books to be discovered in temporary exhibitions, during guided tours, and decorative works, paintings and ceramics.

ONE OF THREE 20TH CENTURY NATIONAL MUSEUMS IN THE ALPES-MARITIMES

Like the other two museums, Marc Chagall in Nice and “Pablo Picasso, War and Peace” in Vallauris, the Fernand Léger Museum is a 20th century national museum in the Alpes-Maritimes.

The three museums are an exceptional set of works allowing the discovery of three major artists from the last century. Monographic museums offer privileged spaces for contemplation and knowledge of works to delight every visitor.

Since the beginning of this century, they have chosen to make modern creations part of their respective cultural programmes.

As a result they work on points where these three avant-garde artists meet and converge with artists of the 21st century, and regularly offer exhibition by artists renowned on the international modern scene.

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Une publication partagée par Musées nationaux du 06 (@museeschagalllegerpicasso)

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