ANDRÉ LHOTE

André Lhote (born on the 5th of July 1885, Bordeaux, France - died on the 25th of January 1962) was a French sculptor, painter, arttheorician and educator who initially worked in Fauvist style beforemoving to Cubism. Lhote grew up in Bordeaux where he started wood sculpture while working in a furniture workshop at the age of thirteen.This led him to study decorative sculpture at the Ecole des Beaux-Artsbetween 1898 and 1904. During his studies, Lhote initiated himself topainting as an autodidact and as soon as 1910 had his first solo show atthe gallery Druet. In 1912, Lhote joined the group of artists called Section d'Or which favoured a rigorous, geometrical andtheoretical approach to Cubism. Further to his concerns for theory,Lhote cofounded the journal Nouvelle Revue Française where he publishedhis critical takes until 1940, over a span of 23 years. Lhote joined thearmy during the First World War and then moved to Paris where he taughtin different painting schools before founding his own in Montparnassein 1922. Lhote was acclaimed worldwide for both his theory and practice. He had numerous international exhibitions during his lifetime,including a retrospective of his oeuvre at the Musée d'Art Moderne in1957. At the same time, Lhote travelled extensively as he lectured incountries such as Belgium, England, Italy, Egypt and Brazil – not toforget his influence on art theory in France. The UNESCO also appointedhim as president of the International Association of Painters, Engraversand Sculptors. Today his works are exhibited in major museums such asthe Musée National d'Art Moderne in Paris, the Tate Britain in London,the Art Institute of Chicago and the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.