Henri Laurens (18 February 1885 – 5 May 1954) was a French sculptor and illustrator.

Early life and education

Born in Paris, Laurens worked as a stonemason before he became a sculptor. From 1899 to 1902, he attended drawing classes at the École d'Art Industriel, during which he produced works that were greatly influenced by the popularity of Auguste Rodin.

Career

Later Laurens was drawn to a new gathering of artistic creativity in Montparnasse. From 1915, he began to sculpt in the Cubist style after meeting Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Juan Gris and Fernand Léger.

Laurens was exempted from call-up for the First World War, after having a leg amputated in 1909 due to osteo-tuberculosis.

Multi-talented, Laurens worked with poster paint, and collage. He was an engraver, and created theatre design and decoration. In 1915, he illustrated a book for his friend, the author Pierre Reverdy.

In 1937, he was awarded the Helena Rubinstein Prize, which brought him in additional commissions.

Personal life

Laurens was the father of the architect (1908–2003).

Laurens died in Paris, after collapsing while out on an evening walk, and was interred in the Montparnasse Cemetery there. His tomb is decorated with his sculpture, La Douleur.

<!-- Deleted image removed: thumb|170px|La Douleur located at the [[Montparnasse Cemetery, Paris]] -->

<!-- Deleted image removed: thumb|upright|Man with Clarinet, stone sculpture of 1919, in the collection of the [[Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden]] -->

See also

  • Crystal Cubism

References

  • Henri Laurens in the collections of the V&A