Élie Lascaux

Élie Lascaux (1888–1968), born in Limoges, encountered painting at the Haviland porcelain factory through Eugène Alluaud. Arriving in Paris in 1904 with ambitions to become a singer, he undertook various jobs before devoting himself to painting after the First World War. Suzanne Valadon encouraged him, while Max Jacob introduced him to Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, who became a lasting supporter.

Although close to avant-garde writers and artists, Lascaux maintained a personal figurative language often associated with naïve art. His landscapes and townscapes favour clear arrangements of forms and poetic light. Limoges and Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, where he settled at the beginning of the Second World War, nourished this imagery. He also worked in illustration and lithography. La Maison de l’homme-plume and Le Vieux Limoges reveal the importance of familiar places within his imagination.

Works recorded at auction