André Lhote

Painter, theorist and teacher, André Lhote (1885–1962) combined painting and writing throughout his career, provoking controversy by refusing to choose between artistic creation and intellectual engagement. A singular figure of Cubism, he remained outside the dominant trajectories of Picasso and Braque. His role as the official art critic of La Nouvelle Revue Française from 1919 reflects his intellectual commitment, shared with Jacques Rivière and Jean Paulhan. Trained in drawing in Bordeaux by Émile Brunet, Lhote turned fully to painting with the support of collector Gabriel Frizeau, who introduced him to Gauguin and became his patron. The industrial bustle of Bordeaux harbour inspired numerous paintings, from vibrant Fauvism to constructive Cubism. Active in the 1920s and 1930s, he exhibited widely in Paris and internationally. In 1937, he received a commission for the International Exhibition of Arts and Techniques. His travels to Egypt and Brazil in the 1950s confirmed his Cézannian research into the architecture of the work. He also taught artists and students at Mirmande and Gordes. A major retrospective at the Musée national d’Art moderne in Paris in 1958 confirmed his place in modern art.Text in French.