Zone (1934)

Louis Marcoussis prints bring the playful geometry of Cubism into your home: guitars, glasses, fruit bowls and playing cards broken into elegant planes of color. Marcoussis was a Polish-born painter and printmaker of the School of Paris, a friend of Apollinaire and Picasso, and one of the first recognized Cubist engravers. This collection gathers art prints of his still lifes, café and beach scenes, portraits and his etchings for poetry books.

About Louis Marcoussis

Louis Marcoussis was born Ludwik Markus in Poland in 1878. After briefly studying law in Warsaw, he trained at the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts and in 1903 moved to Paris, where he studied for a short time at the Académie Julian under Jules Lefebvre. He first exhibited at the Salon d'Automne in 1905 and earned his living drawing cartoons for satirical magazines.

In the cafés of Montmartre and Montparnasse he got to know Braque, Picasso and the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, who suggested his French name, after a village near Paris. His early painting was Impressionist, but around 1910–1911 he joined the Cubists and took part in the Section d'Or exhibition. In 1913 he married the Polish painter Alicja Halicka.

He had his first solo exhibition in 1925 and showed across Europe and the United States. From around 1930 he concentrated on printmaking and illustrated books by Apollinaire, Gérard de Nerval and Tristan Tzara, and in the late 1930s taught etching to Joan Miró. When the Germans occupied Paris in 1940, he and Alicja moved to Cusset, near Vichy, where he died on 22 October 1941.

Style and Subjects

Marcoussis's Cubism is elegant and lyrical. His still lifes of bottles, glasses, guitars, fruit, newspapers and playing cards are built from overlapping planes, often with decorative patterns, lettering and a soft, harmonious palette. He also painted on glass, an unusual technique that gives his colors a jewel-like glow.

Later he painted figures around tables, musicians, readers and beach scenes, with stylized, rounded forms. His etchings, about 210 in all, are delicate and inventive, and include portraits of Apollinaire and illustrations for poems.

Famous Works

• The Glass of Absinthe (1912), Art Institute of Chicago. An early Cubist still life of café life.
• Still Life with Guitar (1914). A guitar broken into elegant Cubist planes.
• Painting on Glass, No. 17 (1920), The Phillips Collection, Washington. One of his luminous paintings on glass.
• Glass and Fruit (1921), Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia. A colorful Cubist tabletop.
• Night Café (1923), Cleveland Museum of Art. A café scene in muted Cubist color.
• Fish (1926), Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven. A still life built around a fish on a table.
• Figures on a Beach (1930), Saint Louis Art Museum. Stylized bathers by the sea.

Decorating with Marcoussis Prints

Marcoussis's Cubist still lifes suit a modern living room, dining room or home office. Their soft browns, blues and creams, with crisp black lines, look elegant in thin black, white or natural oak frames, and pair well with mid-century furniture.

His café and musician scenes bring a Parisian mood to a kitchen or bar area, and his fine etchings make a refined gallery wall for a study or library.

FAQ

What art movement was Louis Marcoussis part of?

Marcoussis was a Cubist painter and printmaker of the School of Paris. He took part in the Section d'Or exhibitions and is considered one of the first recognized Cubist engravers.

What is Louis Marcoussis known for?

He is known for elegant Cubist still lifes of glasses, guitars and fruit, for his paintings on glass, and for his etchings, including portraits of Guillaume Apollinaire and illustrations for poetry books.

Where can I see Marcoussis's original work?

His work is in the Art Institute of Chicago, the Phillips Collection, the Barnes Foundation, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Tate in London and French museums including Reims and Dijon.

How can you recognize a Louis Marcoussis painting?

Look for tabletop still lifes broken into overlapping planes, decorative patterns, lettering and a soft, harmonious palette, or stylized, rounded figures in his later work.

How did he get the name Marcoussis?

He was born Ludwik Markus. His friend, the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, suggested the name Marcoussis, after a village not far from Paris.

Related Artists

• Juan Gris — fellow Cubist painter of elegant still lifes
• Albert Gleizes — Cubist painter and organizer of the Section d'Or
• Roger de La Fresnaye — fellow student at the Académie Julian who also turned to Cubism
• Georges Braque — friend from the Paris cafés and pioneer of Cubism