(b. 1882, Argenteuil-sur-Seine, France; d. 1963, Paris)
Georges
Braque was born on May 13, 1882, in Argenteuil-sur-Seine, France. He grew
up in Le Havre and studied evenings at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts there from
about 1897 to 1899. He left for Paris to study under a master decorator
to receive his craftsman certificate in 1901. From 1902 to 1904, he painted
at the Académie Humbert in Paris, where he met Marie Laurencin and Francis
Picabia. By 1906, Braque’s work was no longer Impressionist but Fauve in
style; after spending that summer in Antwerp with Othon
Friesz, he showed his Fauve work the following year in the Salon des
Indépendants in Paris. His first solo show was at Daniel-Henri Kahnweiler’s
gallery in 1908. From 1909, Pablo Picasso
and Braque worked together in developing Cubism; by 1911, their styles were
extremely similar. In 1912, they started to incorporate collage elements
into their paintings and to experiment with the papier collé (pasted
paper) technique. Their artistic collaboration lasted until 1914. Braque
served in the French army during World War I and was wounded; upon his recovery
in 1917, he began a close friendship with Juan
Gris.
After World War I, Braque’s work became freer and less schematic. His
fame grew in 1922 as a result of an exhibition at the Salon d’Automne
in Paris. In the mid-1920s, Braque designed the decor for two Sergei Diaghilev
ballets. By the end of the decade, he had returned to a more realistic
interpretation of nature, although certain aspects of Cubism always remained
present in his work. In 1931, Braque made his first engraved plasters
and began to portray mythological subjects. His first important retrospective
took place in 1933 at the Kunsthalle Basel. He won First Prize at the
Carnegie International, Pittsburgh, in 1937.
During World War II, Braque remained in Paris. His paintings at that time,
primarily still lifes and interiors, became more somber. In addition to
paintings, Braque also made lithographs, engravings, and sculpture. From
the late 1940s, he treated various recurring themes, such as birds, ateliers,
landscapes, and seascapes. In 1954, he designed stained-glass windows
for the church of Varengeville. During the last few years of his life,
Braque’s ill health prevented him from undertaking further large-scale
commissions, but he continued to paint, make lithographs, and design jewelry.
He died on August 31, 1963, in Paris.