André Lhote & Post-War Puteaux

About

The Puteaux district on the left bank in western Paris was the home of the legendary Section d’Or cubists such as André Lhote, Juan Gris, Jean Metzinger and Jacques Villon, formed in 1911. The group evolved over the years developing the Cubist principles and applying them in new and diverse ways. This exhibition at HFA brings together post-war works by André Lhote, whose theories perhaps most defined the legacy of the group; alongside the generation of post-war Puteaux artists Reynold Arnould, Jean Chevolleau, Christine Boumeester, Henri Goetz, Jean Marzelle, Marie Raymond, and Alfred Reth, who maintained the close communal sprit whilst re-inventing the Cubist idiom through their own distinct oeuvres.

André Lhote was highly influential in the theoretical framework of Cubism, from his participation in the Section d’Or group, to writing for the Nouvelle Revue Francaise, and setting up his own academy, which was widely attended by the new generation of artists. Arguably Lhote’s most important contribution was liberating Cubism from the still-life, advocating its wider application to landscape painting. A highlight of HFA’s exhibition is Lhote’s “Sur la Terrasse”, which was exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1954.