Braque, Georges 1882-1963
French painter

Born in Argenteuil, the son of a house painter, he spent his boyhood in Le Havre. In Paris (from 1900), he studied at the �cole des Beaux-Arts, and became one of the founders of classical Cubism, working with Picasso from 1908 to 1914. After World War I (in which he was wounded) he developed a personal, non-geometric, semi-abstract style. In 1924 and 1925 he designed scenes for two Diaghilev ballets, Les F�cheux and Z�phyr et Flore. His paintings are mainly of still life, the subject being transformed into a two-dimensional pattern. They are among the outstanding decorative achievements of the 20th century and have had a pervasive influence on other painters. He was made a Commander of the Legion of Honour in 1951.

Bibliography: Raymond Cogniac, Georges Braque (1980)