The following articles look at the history, origins, and influences of the Cubism art movement.
Inventing Cubism - Khan Academy
The History of Cubism - Artlex
Cubism Art Movement – History, Artists, and Artwork
Cubism: How Picasso and Others Broke From Tradition to Transform Modern Art
From Picasso to Present: The Origins of Cubism
A 65-Year Legacy: Cubism Returns to France
7 Things You Need to Know: Cubism
Explaining Cubism to the world
What The Section d’Or Meant for Cubism, and Abstract Art At Large
Take a closer look at the three distinct phases of Cubism and their evolution.
The 3 Types of Cubism: History, Characteristics, and Artists
Analytic Cubism vs Synthetic Cubism: Similarities and Differences
Proto-Cubism / Cézanian Cubism / Salon Cubism : This phase charts the evolution of the style before the birth of Cubism as a distinct art movement
Analytic / Analytical Cubism : Emerging in 1907 and lasting until 1912, this phase is characterised by the subject being shown from multiple overlapping viewpoints
Analytic Cubism Art Movement – History, Artists and Artwork
Analytic Cubism - Khan Academy
Analytic Cubism - The Art Story
How Analytical Cubism Prefigured Pure Abstraction
Synthetic Cubism : This later phase - between 1912 and 1914 - introduced textures and patterns to Cubist works, focusing on simpler shapes and brighter colours
Synthetic Cubism Art Movement: History, Artwork, and Artists
Synthetic Cubism, Part I - Khan Academy
Synthetic Cubism, Part II - Khan Academy
Synthetic Cubism - The Art Story
Synthetic Cubism Explained - Planes, Shapes and Vantage Points
Learn more about the characteristics of Cubism through the following articles, and by looking at the similarities and differences between Cubism and other art movements.
4 Characteristics of Cubism and Why They Are Important
Cubism and Multiple Perspectives
What is Cubism - A True Art Revolution?
Compare Cubism with:
Significant artists and artworks of the Cubist movement.
6 Artists Who Made Cubism Popular
Cubism Art Movement – A Guide to the Most Notable Cubism Artists
Includes: Pablo Picasso; Georges Braque; Juan Gris; Paul Klee; Albert Gleizes; Paul Cézanne
10 Famous Cubist Artists You Should Know About
Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso
Famous Cubist Paintings – A List of the Best Cubist Artists and Artworks
10 Iconic Cubist Artworks and Their Artists
10 Famous and Notable Cubism Artworks
20 Most Famous Cubism Paintings
The Beauty Found in Cubist Portraits
Cubist Paintings That Changed the View of Modern Art
Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso: Two Cubist Musicians
Focuses on and compares Picasso's Ma Jolie and Braque's The Portuguese
What is Cubism? 9 famous artworks you really should know (and some you’ve never seen before)
This article also looks at the history and inspirations of Cubism
Many Cubist works were constructed in the media of sculpture and collage.
Cubist Sculpture I - Khan Academy
Cubist Sculpture II - Khan Academy
Here are Some Brilliant Examples of Cubist Sculpture
The Abstraction of Cubist Collage
Feminine/Masculine: The Collages of Picasso, Braque, and Gris
The title 'Section d'Or' refers to the group of artists who helped define Cubism in terms of mathematical, scientific, and philosophical issues. Learn more using these resources:
Section d'Or - Britannica Schools
Section d'Or - Encyclopedia of Art History
How Cubism Thrived Within the Section d'Or
What The Section d’Or Meant for Cubism, and Abstract Art At Large
Based on Cubism, Orphism placed greater emphasis on the use of colour rather than shape to create a sense of movement and rhythm. Take a closer look at Orphism (also referred to as Orphic Cubism and Simultanism), its characteristics, works, and significant artists.
Orphism - Encyclopedia of Art History
Orphism and Simultaneity - Art History Unstuffed
Discover the Mysteries of Orphism in Painting
What is Orphism? The Modern Art Movement Explained
What Are the Differences Between Orphism and Cubism?
Art Movement: Orphism – Between Modernity and Spirituality
Orphism - Guggenheim (artworks)
Orphism - MoMA (artworks)
Cubism of Sonia Delaunay and the Exploration of Color
Sonia Delaunay: Pioneer of Abstract Art Between Fashion & Painting
The Leonard A. Lauder Collection is the most important group of Cubist artworks still in private hands. The collection was exhibited to the public for the first time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2014 and 2015 and consists of 81 paintings, collages, drawings, and sculpture by four leading Cubist artists: Georges Braque; Juan Gris; Fernand Léger, and Pablo Picasso.
Explore the collection using the following links and resources.
Cubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection - Exhibition Overview
Biographies of Pablo Picasso:
Pablo Picasso - Britannica Schools (for basic overview see: Pablo Picasso (Middle))
Pablo Picasso - Google Arts and Culture
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) - Metropolitan Museum of Art
10 Surprising Facts About Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso - The Life and Works of This Famous Cubism Artist - Art in Context
An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to a full biography, his artistic legacy, important artworks, and additional resources, including videos, books, special features, websites, and more.
Picasso used many different artistic styles throughout his career, although - as its founder he is perhaps most associated with Cubism. These resources discuss his Cubist works in more detail.
Famous Picasso Paintings - Looking at the Best of Picasso's Art
Includes: Les Demoiselles d'Avignon; Still Life with Chair Caning; Bowl of Fruit, Violin, and Bottle; Ma Jolie; The Three Musicians; Guernica
9 Facts About Picasso‘s Groundbreaking Painting ‘Les Demoiselles d‘Avignon'
Picasso, The Reservoir, Horta de Ebro (The Reservoir, Horta de Ebro) [video, 4 minutes, 15 seconds]
Pablo Picasso and the new language of Cubism (The Guitarist) [video, 5 minutes]
Pablo Picasso, Portrait of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler (Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler)
Picasso, Guitar (Guitar, sculpture) [video, 4 minutes, 17 seconds]
Still Life with Chair Caning
Picasso, Still Life with Chair Caning [article]
Picasso, Still Life with Chair Caning [video, 6 minutes 35 seconds]
Pablo Picasso, Guitar, Glass, and Bottle (Glass, Guitar, and Bottle) [video, 2 minutes]
Conservation, Picasso's Guitars (Still-Life with Guitar, sculpture) [video, 3 minutes, 17 seconds]
A Technical Study of Picasso’s Construction Still Life 1914 (Still Life, sculpture)
Pablo Picasso, The Three Musicians (Three Musicians)
Guernica
Picasso, Guernica - Khan Academy
“Guernica” by Picasso – Analyzing This Famous Spanish Civil War Painting
Picasso and Guernica: Exploring the Anti-War Symbolism
Picasso’s Idealized Portrait of His Final Muse (Femme Au Chien) [video, 4 minutes]
See Picasso's works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sotheby's, Obelisk Art History, and the TATE. Click on and artwork to discover more about it.
Biographies of Georges Braque:
Georges Braque - Google Arts and Culture
This Braque website also provides access to detailed information about the artist's works.
An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to: a full biography; his artistic legacy, progression, and influences; important artworks; and additional resources, including articles, video-clips, and more.
The following resources look at Braque's influence on Cubism, his experiments with collage, and specific artworks.
Georges Braque – Explore the Cubism Artworks by This French Artist
Is Braque Finally Coming Out of Picasso’s Shadow?
Collage Art – A History of Collage as an Artistic Medium [Braque]
Georges Braque Pulled Art from the Paste-Pot
Braque's Musical Instruments [Leonard A. Lauder Collection - Check the separate information box for a closer look at Braque's works in this collection]
Cubism and Early Abstraction - This provides access to a variety of articles and videos about Cubism, Georges Braque's association with it, and his artworks in the style. Topics on Braque: Inventing Cubism and Synthetic Cubism Part I. Artworks: Pitcher and Violin; The Viaduct at L'Estaque; Violin and Palette; The Portuguese (and further analysis of it).
Violin and Candlestick - (Famous Still Life Artists and Paintings – artincontext)
Bottle and Fishes (Famous French Painters and Their 15 Most Popular Paintings - artincontext)
Le Violon [video; 2 minutes]
See Braque's works at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sotheby's, and Obelisk Art History. Click on an artwork to discover more about it.
Prior to the development of Cubism, Georges Braque began his career with Fauvism. Take a look at the Fauvism LibGuide page to discover more about Braque's Fauvist works.
Biographies of Juan Gris:
Juan Gris - Britannica Schools
Juan Gris: Spanish Painter, Illustrator, and Sculptor (Overview and Artworks) - The Art Story
An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to a full biography, his artistic legacy, important artworks, and additional resources, including books, articles, websites, and video-clips.
Juan Gris created much in the style of Synthetic Cubism, incorporating bold colours and crisp design elements into his distinctive works. Use the following resources to take a closer look at Gris's artistic style and artworks.
Juan Gris on the Verge of Abstraction
Art View; Juan Gris: The Other Cubist
Cubism in Colour: The Still Lifes of Juan Gris
Juan Gris, The Table - Khan Academy
Gallery Talk: Juan Gris’ Nature morte à la nappe à carreaux [video, 1 minute, 26 seconds]
Juan Gris's Painting "Still Life with Checked Tablecloth" [video, 4 minutes]
See Gris's works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, National Gallery of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Click on an artwork to discover more about it.
Biographies of Robert Delaunay:
Robert Delaunay - Britannica Schools
Robert Delaunay – A Look at the Artist Behind Robert Delaunay’s Paintings
Robert Delaunay: French Painter (Overview and Artworks) - The Art Story
An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to: a full biography; his artistic legacy, progression, and influences; important artworks; and additional resources, including books, websites, articles, video-clips, and more.
A pioneer of abstract art, Robert Delaunay's unique Cubist style used vibrant colours and contemporary subject matter - later becoming known as 'Orphism' or 'Orphic Cubism'. Check out the Orphism information box to learn more about this style as a movement. Use the following resources to take a closer look at Delaunay's artistic progression and artworks.
Robert Delaunay and His Approach to Colour
Robert Delaunay: Understanding His Abstract Art
Tim Marlow’s Must-See August Museum Shows: Robert Delaunay at Kunsthaus Zürich [video, 1 minute]
The Cubist City – Robert Delaunay and Fernand Léger
Robert Delaunay, "Simultaneous Contrasts: Sun and Moon" [video, 2 minutes]
10 Most Famous Robert Delaunay Paintings - Outpost Art [video, 1 minute, 10 seconds]
Robert Delaunay's Eiffel Tower
See Delaunay's works at the TATE, Metropolitan Museum of Art, via Useum and Arthive (over multiple pages). Click on an artwork to discover more about it.
Biographies of Fernand Léger:
Fernand Léger - Britannica Schools (for basic overview see: Fernand Léger)
Fernand Léger - Encyclopedia of Visual Artists
Fernand Léger (1881-1955) - Metropolitan Museum of Art
Five things to know about Fernand Léger
10 things to know about Fernand Léger
Fernand Léger: French Painter (Overview and Artworks) - The Art Story
An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to: a full biography; his artistic legacy, progression, and influences; important artworks; and additional resources, including books, websites, articles, and video-clips.
Fernand Léger developed his own particular style of Cubism featuring cylindrical forms, known as 'Tubism'. Much of his artwork involved contemporary subject matter, primary colours, and bold lines. Take a closer look at Léger's artistic style and works in these articles and short videos.
Fernand Léger, Between Abstraction and Cubism
Fernand Léger - The Museum of Modern Art
Fernand Léger, "Contrast of Forms" [video, 2 minutes, 19 seconds]
Fernand Léger's Radical Cubist Vision [video, 3 minutes 30 seconds] (references Nature Morte,1914)
Léger: Modern Art and the Metropolis
This exhibition overview also includes a short gallery tour, chronology, and artist information.
The Cubist City – Robert Delaunay and Fernand Léger
Primarily focused on Delaunay, Léger's The City (1919) is discussed about two-thirds down the page.
Fernand Léger, Men in the City, 1919 [audio, 2 minutes; transcript included]
Fernand Léger’s The city – The story behind this painting
Fernand Léger’s Monumental Mosaic
The Cubists & the Tubist (references The Three Musicians, 1944)
From the Archives: Henry Geldzahler on the Late Work of Fernand Léger, in 1962
See Léger's works at the Guggenheim, TATE, Sotheby's, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Click on an artwork to discover more about it.
Biographies of Marc Chagall:
Marc Chagall - Britannica Schools (for basic overview see: Marc Chagall (Middle))
Marc Chagall, and his paintings
An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to a full biography, his artistic legacy, important artworks, and additional resources, including books, websites, and articles.
It was during Marc Chagall's years in Paris that he was most influenced by Cubism. Discover more about this period of his life, as well as his artistic style and artworks through the following resources.
Marc Chagall – Looking at the Life and Art Style of Modern Painter Chagall
Marc Chagall (1887-1985): Painting as Poetry
Marc Chagall – The Paris Years (1910-1914)
5 Famous Marc Chagall Paintings That Will Mesmerize You With Their Dreamlike Beauty
What Are Marc Chagall’s Best-Known Artworks of All Time?
Life transformed into the theatrical
Artist at the heart of a cultural vortex (references Hommage à Apollinaire, 1911-12)
“I and the Village” (1911), Chagall’s Unique Take on Cubism
The Harmonious Life of Marc Chagall [video, 4 minutes, 13 seconds]
Anny Aviram on Marc Chagall’s I and the Village [video, 4 minutes]
See Chagall's works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, TATE, Sotheby's, Jewish Museum, and via Obelisk Art History. Click on an artwork to discover more about it.
Biographies of Francis Picabia:
Francis Picabia - Britannica Schools
Francis Picabia - Encyclopedia of Visual Artists
Francis Picabia Biography (Timeline)
An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to: a full biography; his artistic legacy, progression, and influences; important artworks; and additional resources, including books, websites, articles, and video-clips.
Francis Picabia was active in a number of modern art movements, particularly Cubism and the way the style could evoke qualities of the modern, urban, and mechanistic world. Take a closer look at Picabia's career, style and works with the following resources.
Francis Picabia - Metropolitan Museum of Art
Francis Picabia’s Chameleonic Style
Always Forging Ahead: Early Styles of Francis Picabia
9 Most Famous Artworks by Francis Picabia
Francis Picabia: Our Heads Are Round so Our Thoughts Can Change Direction - Exhibition Overview
See Picabia's works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Sotheby's. Click on an artwork to discover more about it.
As well as being instrumental in early Cubism, Francis Picabia was one of the founders of the Dada art movement. Check the Dada LibGuide page to discover more about Picabia's Dadaist works.
Biographies of Jean Metzinger:
Jean Metzinger - Encyclopedia of Visual Artists
Jean Metzinger: French Painter, Writer, Theorist, Poet (Overview and Artwork) - The Art Story
An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to a full biography, his artistic legacy, important artworks, and additional resources, including books and articles.
Jean Metziner is significant among Cubists for developing the theoretical foundations of Cubism in his co-authored essay Du Cubisme. Take a closer look at some of his notable works.
Jean Metzinger: Two Sides of a Cubist
Jean Metzinger, Cubist Painter
Danseuse au café (Dancer in a Café), 1912
Picasso Posse: The Mona Lisa of Cubism [video, 1 minute, 43 seconds]
This Philadelphia Museum of Art video focuses on Jean Metzinger's Tea Time (Woman with a Teaspoon).
See Metzinger's works at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Christie's, Useum and via Obelisk Art History. Click on an artwork to discover more about it.
Biographies of Marcel Duchamp:
Marcel Duchamp - Britannica Schools (for overview see: Marcel Duchamp)
Marcel Duchamp - Metropolitan Museum of Art
Marcel Duchamp - Centre Pompidou
Marcel Duchamp – Explore Marcel Duchamp’s Art and Interesting Life
Marcel Duchamp - Encyclopedia of Visual Artists
Marcel Duchamp: French Painter and Sculptor (Overview and Artworks) - The Art Story
An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to a full biography, his artistic legacy, important artworks, and additional resources, including video-clips, books, special features, websites and articles.
In his early works Marcel Duchamp embraced the Cubist notion of reordering reality, rather than simply representing it. Explore Duchamp's artistic style and works.
Marcel Duchamp’s 18 Most Puzzling Artworks, From Hypnotic Bicycle Wheels to Visions of Robotic Sex
7 Things to Know about . . . Marcel Duchamp
The Essential Duchamp - Exhibition Overview (Art Gallery of NSW)
Portrait of Chess Players, 1911
Art History | Marcel Duchamp | Portrait (Dulcinea) [video, 3 minutes]
See Duchamp's works at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Guggenheim, and via Obelisk Art History. Click on an artwork to discover more about it.
Marcel Duchamp first coined the term 'readymade' in designating everyday objects as artworks - a primary aspect of the Dada art movement. Check out the Dada LibGuide page to learn more about Duchamp's Dadaist works.
For more information about Pablo Picasso, check out the following resources.
This fan site includes information about Picasso, his works, and the different media he used throughout his artistic career. The site includes a list of his paintings - click on an artwork to discover more about it.
Masters of the Modern Era: Pablo Picasso [video, 59 minutes]
This documentary explores the life and works of Picasso, and his influence on the world around him.
Deconstructing the Image: Pablo Picasso and the Cubist Experiment [video, 1 hour, 2 minutes]
From the 'How Artists See' series of lectures. Pablo Picasso’s restless, inventive mind enabled him to see objects in a fractured, multifaceted way which freed the representation of the human body from its tethers to ancient Greece.
Check out the following resources for some additional reading.
Excerpts from "Du Cubisme" - Obelisk Art History
Excerpts from the Cubist art theory written by Albert Gleizes and Jean Metzinger in 1912.
Modern Artists on Art: Ten Unabridged Essays edited by Robert L. Herbert
Gleizes & Metzinger, Cubism (1912) - This is a revised translation of Gleizes and Metzinger's original 1912 essay on Cubism. The full text of this book is available online.
Picasso and Braque: Pioneering Cubism by William Rubin
This book examines the works of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in relation to their shared development of the Cubist art movement.
Visions of Paris: Robert Delaunay's Series by Marc Rosenthal
Delaunay's paintings of Saint-Severin, the Eiffel Tower, and window views of Paris celebrate the rhythms and locales of an urban milieu, embracing the modern in its most vital form: architecture. This book, the catalogue to an exhibition organized by the Guggenheim Museum, focuses on these groupings of paintings and drawings.
“Fernand Léger: Five Themes and Variations” by Thomas M. Messer, 1962 [audio, 54 minutes 13 seconds]
Guggenheim Director Thomas M. Messer speaks about the exhibition Fernand Léger: Five Themes and Variations (1962). He explains why the museum found it important to show Léger’s later paintings and discusses at length various themes employed by the artist. A full transcript of the lecture is available to read.
Marc Chagall - The Jewish Museum Exhibitions
These exhibition overviews also contain educator resources, videos, and audio guides.
- Chagall: Love, War, and Exile - Overview
- Chagall: Love, War, and Exile - Curriculum Guide (focus on Chagall's Cubist work Calvary from page 29)
- Chagall, Lissitzky, Malevich: The Russian Avant-Garde in Vitebsk, 1918-1922
Between Music and the Machine: Francis Picabia and the End of Abstraction
This article looks at Picabia in more detail. It also contains many images of his artworks.
Marcel Duchamp Retrospective, 1974 - Guggenheim [audio, 25 minutes]
Mimi Poser discusses the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Marcel Duchamp retrospective with the museum’s Anne d’Harnoncourt and the Parke-Bernet auction house’s John Tancock.
Cubism and the Trompe l'Oeil Tradition - Metropolitan Museum of Art
This exhibition (and its associated resources) looks at Cubism through the lens of the trompe l'oeil tradition of painting concerned with the nature of representation.
- Exhibition Objects (images)
- Exhibition Text (booklet)
- Virtual Opening [video: 29 minutes, 50 seconds]
Picasso and the Avant-Garde in Paris - Philadelphia Museum of Art
This exhibition overview includes 'behind the scenes' videos (click on the image to play the video), as well as information about the various phases of Cubism and links to the associated galleries. It contains more than just Picasso so scroll through and explore.
The 'Other' Cubists - Sotheby's
This article looks at the Cubist works of artists Louis Marcoussis and María Blanchard.
Beyond Picasso: the Cubism of Filla and Foltýn - Sotheby's
In Czechoslovakia, different forms of Cubism developed from those pioneered by Picasso and Braque. This article discusses the Czech Cubist artists Emil Filla and František Foltýn.
Learn more about Cubism from the following videos, museum tours, and lectures.
An Introduction to Cubism - St Ambrose College Art [24 min, 21 sec]
Tour of Cubism at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art - National Galleries [7 min, 21 sec]
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a number of visual resources relating to Cubism:
Cubism and the Trompe l'Oeil Tradition Virtual Opening [29 min 50 sec]
Join the exhibition’s curators Emily Braun and Elizabeth Cowling for a virtual tour of "Cubism and the Trompe l’Oeil Tradition". Along with Cubist paintings, sculptures, and collages, the exhibition presents canonical examples of European and American trompe l’oeil painting from the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries.
Leonard A. Lauder on Collecting Cubism [3 min, 13 sec]
Leonard A. Lauder discusses how he built his collection of works by Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, Fernand Léger, and Georges Braque.
Leonard A. Lauder on Living with Pictures [1 min, 13 sec]
Leonard A. Lauder discusses his appreciation of the Cubist works of art he has collected. Leonard A. Lauder answers the question: "Which is your favorite picture?"
Collecting Cubism [56 min, 59 sec]
The ninth-annual Women and the Critical Eye program featuring a conversation between Emily Braun and Rebecca Rabinow, who discuss Leonard Lauder's criteria for collecting, including the importance of the "aesthetic wow," rarity, state of conservation, and attention to a work's curriculum vitae.
The Artist Project: Jacques Villeglé [3 minutes 23 seconds]
French mixed-media artist Jacques Villeglé takes a closer look at the works of Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso in this short video.
Learning to See Again: Picasso's Cubism Before Collage [1 hr, 13 min, 23 sec]
Examine the most impenetrable of Picasso's Cubist works with Christopher Green, this year's Leonard A. Lauder Distinguished Scholar at The Met.
Cubism across Cultures and Continents: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection and Masterpieces of the Met [1 hr, 25 min, 47 sec]
Explore one of the most significant Cubist art collections ever assembled from multiple perspectives.
Symposium—Charting Cubism across Central and Eastern Europe
- Part 1: Welcome & Introduction [24 min, 20 sec]
- Part 2: Picasso, Braque, and Kramář: The Czech Reception of Synthetic Cubism [26 min, 37 sec]
- Part 3: Averting a Crisis in Cubism: The Theoretical Writings of Alexis Gritchenko [30 min, 44 sec]
- Part 4: Cubism and Soviet Art Criticism during the Cold War [24 min, 14 sec]
- Part 5: Response to the Previous Lectures [24 min, 16 sec]
- Part 6: Remake of Cubism: Local Possibilities [50 min, 23 sec]