André Lhote (1885-1962) French

André Lhote (born on the 5th of July 1885, Bordeaux, France - died on the 25th of January 1962) was a French sculptor, painter, art theoretician and educator who initially worked in Fauvist style before moving 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-Arts between 1898 and 1904. During his studies, Lhote initiated himself to painting as an autodidact and as soon as 1910 had his first solo show at the gallery Druet.

In 1912, Lhote joined the group of artists called Section d’Or which favoured a rigorous, geometrical and theoretical approach to Cubism. Further to his concerns for theory, Lhote cofounded the journal Nouvelle Revue Française where he published his critical takes until 1940, over a span of 23 years. Lhote joined the army during the First World War and then moved to Paris where he taught in different painting schools before founding his own in Montparnasse in 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 in 1957. At the same time, Lhote travelled extensively as he lectured in countries such as Belgium, England, Italy, Egypt and Brazil – not to forget his influence on art theory in France. The UNESCO also appointed him as president of the International Association of Painters, Engravers and Sculptors. Today his works are exhibited in major museums such as the Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris, the Tate Britain in London, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.