La Roue et l'échelle
1947
"La Roue et l'échelle" (1922) by Fernand Léger is an oil painting that exemplifies the artist's distinctive Cubist aesthetic through its geometric fragmentation of industrial objects. The composition features a wheel and ladder rendered in bold, contrasting colors and simplified forms that celebrate modern machinery and urban life. This work reflects Léger's fascination with mechanical forms and his belief that contemporary art should embrace the visual language of the industrial age.
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Location
- Sotheby's, New York, NY
- Spotted At
- Auction House · Sotheby'sView on map
🔨 Auction Lot
Modernités
October 18, 2024
Estimate: $800,000 to $1,200,000
Lot 120
Spotted works by Fernand Léger
Artists in conversation
Robert Delaunay
French · b. 1885
Delaunay similarly used bold geometric forms and vibrant contrasting colors to celebrate modern urban and industrial life, as seen in his compositions featuring mechanical and architectural subjects rendered in dynamic Cubist fragmentation.
Charles Demuth
American · b. 1883
Demuth was a key Precisionist painter who shared Léger's focus on industrial machinery and mechanical forms simplified into bold geometric shapes, celebrating the visual energy of modern industrial America with similarly crisp and striking compositions.
Francis Picabia
French · b. 1879
Picabia produced mechanical and industrial imagery rendered through bold geometric abstraction and strong color contrasts, directly paralleling Léger's interest in celebrating machinery and modern objects as legitimate and compelling subjects for fine art.
Start the Discussion
Request access to join the discussion