Georges Braque

"A pioneer of modern art and founder of Cubism, Georges Braque was one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. Yet, until now, the full story of his life has remained untold." "In this first full-length biography, Alex Danchev draws on a wealth of new sources to reveal a man who ushered in one of the greatest revolutions in art since the Renaissance." "Braque devoted his life to pushing the boundaries of the possible. Art critic Louis Vauxcelles coined the term Cubism while appraising Braque's landmark 1908 painting, Houses at L'Estaque, which Matisse later christened "really the first picture constituting the origin of Cubism." A few years later, in 1912, Braque pioneered the collage as fine art with the groundbreaking Fruit Dish and Glass. An internationally renowned painter, he was also a highly accomplished poet and philosopher - praised by Sartre and Heidegger. Braque also fought bravely in World War I. At the Battle of Somme, he sustained a serious skull fracture and nearly died." "But it was Braque's partnership with Picasso that bore the richest fruit and has become the stuff of legend. Lifelong friends and rivals, the two men assessed each other's work at every step, forging an artistic association that was intimate, intense, and profoundly influential. Together they struck down linear perspective, infusing art with a new freedom and excitement." "In this biography, Danchev explores Braque's creativity, examines his personal and professional relationships - with Beckett, Cezanne, Giacometti, Matisse, and Miro, among others - and enriches our understanding of an extraordinary fertile period in art history. Braque emerges as a bold innovator, a revolutionary genius, and a towering figure of modern art."--Jacket.