Throughout his work, Fernand Léger paints the wonders of urban life. The latest exhibition in his museum in Biot pays tribute to city life.
A pulsating rhythm of noise and fury, a close-up on shapes, materials and colours, all expressing modern-day life. From Babylon of bygone days to New York, and the Asian megalopolis beating with today’s madness, cities never stop reinventing the legends of each era. “A plaster cage”, said Balzac of Paris in the 19th century.
Jacques Tati, in his film Playtime, depicts characters weaving the lines of a modernist urban picture. Fernand Léger, too, was often inspired by this raw urban energy to create a whole series of drawings and paintings. This work is the focal point of an exhibition which displays illustrations and photos of urban landscapes by Robert Doisneau and William Klein amongst others. The Paris of the 1920s to 1950s is the backdrop of this exhibition.
