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Oil on paper, laid down on canvas, signed. Painted in 1939
Paper size: 42 x 50in / 106 x 127cm
Frame size: 50.5 x 58.5in / 128 x 149cm
In 1925, André Lhote discovered Mirmande, a ruined Drôme village he helped revive by establishing a summer art school. His landscapes there beautifully reconcile Cubism with nature. Utilising structural geometry, simplified planes, and a vibrant palette of ochres and greens, he captured the region’s stone architecture and rolling hills with rhythmic, intellectual precision and immense local warmth.
Simone Lhote, Paris (wife of the artist).
Suzanne Bermann, Paris (by descent from the above).
Soufer Gallery, New York (acquired from the above, 1988).
Acquired from the above by the late owner, March 1991.
Private Collection, Chicago
New York, Soufer Gallery, André Lhote: Cubism and Later Periods, April-May 1988 (illustrated in color; dated 1927).
This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Dominique Bermann Martin and will be included in her forthcoming Lhote catalogue raisonné.
To enquire about this painting, please call us on +44 (0)20 7968 1830 or email us at enquiries@willowgallery.com. Alternatively use the contact form below.
Title: Pique-nique à Mirmande Artist Name: André LhoteAn influential painter, sculptor, and art theorist, André Lhote occupies a unique and pivotal position in the landscape of twentieth-century modernism. Born in Bordeaux, France, Lhote initially trained in decorative sculpture before shifting his focus to painting. He arrived in Paris during a period of profound artistic upheaval and quickly aligned himself with the avant-garde. By 1912, he had joined the ‘Section d’Or’ (Golden Section), a collective of painters and sculptors associated with a mathematical, structured offshoot of Cubism that included artists like Marcel Duchamp, Juan Gris, and Fernand Léger.
Unlike the radical abstraction pursued by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque during the height of Analytical Cubism, Lhote championed a more accessible, disciplined approach often described as ‘Synthetic’or ‘Academic’ Cubism. He vehemently believed that modern art should not entirely sever its ties with classical tradition. Throughout his career, Lhote maintained a rigorous commitment to the figurative subject—whether portraiture, landscape, or still life—while systematically deconstructing his compositions into a harmonious matrix of geometric planes, crisp lines, and vibrant, carefully calibrated colours.
Lhote’s enduring legacy is equally rooted in his profound impact as an educator and critic. In 1922, he founded the ‘Académie André Lhote’ in Montparnasse, which became a thriving international hub for generations of aspiring modernists, including Tamara de Lempicka, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and William Klein. Through his teaching and extensive theoretical treatises, such as ‘Treatise on Landscape’ and ‘Treatise on the Figure’, he provided students with a structured framework to navigate the transition from classical representation to modern abstraction.
His body of work beautifully exemplifies this signature aesthetic: a masterful synthesis of classical poise and modern geometric dynamism. By bridging the gap between historical tradition and radical modernity, Lhote ensured that Cubism evolved not merely as a fleeting, revolutionary gesture, but as a formal, enduring visual language that reshaped the trajectory of Western art.
