Georges Braque

1882 - 1963

French (Argenteuil, France - Paris, France)

Georges Braque was a major 20th century French painter and sculptor who, along with Pablo Picasso, developed the art movement known as Cubism. Beginning in 1909, Braque began to work closely with Pablo Picasso, who had been developing a similar approach to painting. The invention of Cubism was a joint effort between Picasso and Braque, then residents of Montmartre, Paris. A decisive moment in its development occurred during the summer of 1911, when Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso painted side by side in Céret, in the French Pyrenees, each artist producing paintings that are difficult—sometimes virtually impossible—to distinguish from those of the other. In 1912, they began to experiment with forms of collage and papier collé. Their productive collaboration continued and they worked closely together until the outbreak of World War I in 1914 when Braque enlisted in the French Army, leaving Paris to fight in the First World War. Seriously wounded, Braque would not return to painting for another two years. Throughout his career Braque remained strongly committed to the cubist method, but he allowed for a looser and freer approach. By the time of his death in 1963, he was regarded as one of the elder statesmen of the School of Paris, and of modern art.