Alfred Courmes
(1898-1993)

Alfred Courmes was born in Bormes-les-Mimosas, France, and received his education in Monaco. As a young man, he studied with Roger de La Fresnaye, and lived in the Provence region of France. Courmes style was formed by a variety of different influences from Cubism to Surrealism and Expressionism.

La Marchant de Fruits


Oedipe et le Sphinx Acétylène
 

Courmes’ first exhibition was in 1922 at the Societe Lyonaise des Beaux-Arts, and in 1925, he traveled to Paris to exhibit in the Salon d’Automne. The following year, Courmes moved to Belgium. It is here that Courmes style begins to evolve as he is exposed to a number of different artists in Amsterdam and Brussels. As a result, Surrealism and Flemish Expressionism slowly began to creep into his style. Courmes would return to France in 1930, where he finally began to exhibit extensively.

Au Balcon, 1929
 

During his lifetime, Courmes was often commissioned to paint for the elite and the government. In 1926 he painted a portrait of Peggy Guggenheim which has since become famous, as well as a mural for the French Embassy in Canada in 1938.

Portrait of Peggy Guggenheim, 1926
 

Courmes continued to work and exhibit well into the 1980s, and today his work is housed all over France and the world. During his lifetime, he won a number of awards and recognitions such as the Prix Guillaume.

Paysage
 

Because Courmes’ style was so varied and different, his work isn’t always immediately recognizable. His subjects were also completely different, from beautiful Surrealist portraits to Cubist city scenes and classical landscapes, one may never know what to expect from Courmes.

Le Lavendou

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