Fernand Léger

Fernand Léger, photo by Carl Van Vechten

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, 

Van Vechten Collection.

Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955) was a French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker.


In 1924, in collaboration with Dudley Murphy, George Antheil, and Man Ray, Léger produced and directed the iconic and Futurism-influenced film, Ballet Mécanique (Mechanical Ballet). Neither abstract nor narrative, it is a series of images of a woman's lips and teeth, close-up shots of ordinary objects, and repeated images of human activities and machines in rhythmic movement. [Eliel 2001, p. 44.]


Watch Mechanical Ballet on YouTube:





For more of Fernand's artwork visit the Art Institute of Chicago.