Born on 13 May 1882 in Argenteuil, Val-d’Oise, Georges Braque would go on to co-create the Cubism movement with Picasso, cementing his place in history as an artistic pioneer of the 20th Century.
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Exploring the most seemingly mundane of subjects, Braque spent much of his career painting still lifes. In his early works he experimented by exaggerating hues, revealing an extraordinary ability to find the wondrous in almost anything.

Braque played with how far an object’s defining features could warp and held a deep fascination in the elements that characterised his surroundings. Eventually, his focus shifted away from colour, and moved toward geometry and perspective. This progression would illuminate a new phase of painting for the artist.

In 1909 Braque began collaborating with Pablo Picasso. During their long and intimate friendship, this unlikely duo propelled the other to further his experimentation. Braque was as tame as Picasso was frivolous, yet somehow their friendship endured. With time, Braque’s work became more complex, harsh, and angular. The vibrant colour of his earlier paintings was now replaced with greys and beige to highlight form. Though his style continued evolving, the artist would continue to create with a focus on still life paintings.

The compositions Braque crafted with his unique perception often contained a hidden meaning, which even today have never been revealed. Each object served to communicate and mirror the artist’s inner world. A perfect example of this were the skulls that made a recurring appearance in his works at the beginning of the Second World War. Once the war was over, it was clear that Braque’s inner world also shifted, with cheerful objects once again finding their way into his paintings. In Braque’s final ‘Atelier’ series, beautiful birds can be seen throughout his canvases, perfectly portraying this incomparable artist’s love of motion.