The Resume

(February 4, 1881-August 17, 1955)
Born in Argentan, France
Birth name was Joseph Fernand Henri Leger
Painter/sculptor/filmmaker
Developed 'machine art' from elements of cubism, futurism and surrealism
Works include 'Nudes in the Forest' (1910), 'The Card Players' (1917), 'The City' (1919), 'Nude on a Red Background' (1927), 'Two Sisters' (1935), 'Three Musicians' (1944), 'Romantic Landscape' (1946), 'The Constructors' (1950) and 'The Great Parade' (1954)
Co-producer/co-director of the film 'Ballet Mechanique' (1924)

Why he might be annoying:

He was rejected by the Ecole des Beaux-Arts.
Until his art caught on, he supported himself as a photo retoucher.
He joined the French Communist Party (1945).
Critic Edward Lucie Smith wrote that he was 'on the whole more respected than loved. His work has a deliberate harshness which repels many spectators.'

Why he might not be annoying:

During the Battle of Verdun in World War I, he was nearly killed by a German mustard gas attack.
A pair of his murals were installed in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations headquarters.
Unlike a stereotypical Frenchman, he loved American pop culture, especially billboards, neon lights and New York City. ('The most colossal spectacle in the world.')
Art historian John Golding wrote of his work, 'Never has the poetry of the machine age been so grandly and poetically exalted.'

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• 20th Century Painters
• Artsy/Fartsy Directors
• Brothers and Sisters, I Have None
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 37]
• I am a Citizen of France
• I Died in 1955 (Ranked: 74)
• I'm a Communist
• Known By a Middle Name
• Painters
• Profiles 31501-31750 (Ranked: 31647)
• Sculptors
• Served in World War I

Year In Review:

In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 77.78% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 8 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 22 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 150 Votes: 61.33% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 9 Votes: 88.89% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 30.0% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 20 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 226 Votes: 79.20% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 17 Votes: 58.82% Annoying