Fernand Léger: Building the Modern World

By Raphaël Chatroux, VP, Head of Department, Impressionist & Modern Art

In the early 1950s, Fernand Léger began working on Les Constructeurs, one of the most important series of his late career. Reflecting on post-war Europe’s reconstruction, it also focused on the dignity of working-class labor and the scale of modern industry. Among its key preparatory works is the 1950 gouache Les Constructeurs au Vélo, which Freeman’s will proudly offer for sale in its October 27 Impressionist & Modern Art auction in New York.

Léger drew inspiration during evening drives to Chevreuse, where he saw construction workers climbing newly erected high-voltage pylons. He recalled being struck by the contrast between the small scale of the workers and the rigid industrial structures around them:

“Lost in the rigid, hard, hostile surroundings, the men appeared tiny. I wanted to render this in my paintings, without making any concessions.”

Les Constructeurs au Vélo brings together the central elements of the series. The lower half focuses on the workers, while the upper half is dominated by intersecting metal structures. A bicycle in the foreground refers to everyday working-class life and mobility. The work also connects Léger’s early interest in Cubism and mechanical forms with his later focus on labor and collective life. Here, the workers become the central figure within the industrial landscape—the human presence at the heart of modern progress.

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VIEWING: October 19 – 26

32 East 67th Street, New York, NY

TO BE OFFERED OCTOBER 27, NEW YORK

Fernand Léger (French, 1881-1955)

Les Constructeurs au Vélo, 1950

Estimate: $150,000 – 250,000