Juan Gris: Cubist Paintings and Exhibitions (1912–1927)
Gris participated in Exposició d'Art Cubista at Galeries J. Dalmau in Barcelona, an early major public presentation of Cubist works in Spain and an important moment in disseminating Cubism beyond Paris.
At the Salon de la “Section d’Or” in Paris, Gris gained notable attention for innovative Cubist approaches, including early papier collé shown in this context (e.g., The Washstand, 1912, private collection).
At the 1913 Salon des Indépendants (Paris), Cubism reached a highly visible public peak; Juan Gris exhibited L'Homme dans le Café (Man in Café) (1912) among other prominent Cubist presentations.
Gris completed Violon et guitare (Violin and Guitar) (dated April 1913), a key work in his Cubist development that emphasizes a clearer grid-like structuring of space and form.
Gris completed Still Life: The Table (1914), a tightly structured papier collé still life that exemplifies his rigorous balancing of diagonals, verticals, and horizontals within an oval framework.
In spring 1914, Gris produced Book and Glass and intensified his exploration of papier collé, part of an extended 1914 period in which he created dozens of hybrid collage-painting compositions.
Gris painted Still Life with Checked Tablecloth in Paris (spring 1915), a major Synthetic Cubist still life whose objects also cohere into a secondary image resembling a bull’s head.
Gris completed The Breakfast (Le Petit Déjeuner) (October 1915), a Cubist still life later acquired for France’s national modern art collection (Musée National d’Art Moderne).
Gris produced costume designs (dated 1923) for the ballet Les Tentations de la Bergère, a project that expanded his Cubist practice into theatrical design ahead of the ballet’s 1924 premiere.
Diaghilev’s company premiered Les Tentations de la Bergère at the Théâtre de Monte Carlo; Gris provided décor and costumes, marking a high-profile intersection of Cubism and stage production.
Gris painted Le Tapis bleu (June–August 1925), a late Cubist still life featuring musical and tabletop motifs; the work is held by the Musée National d’Art Moderne (Paris).
Still Life with Checked Tablecloth was exhibited in Dresden in the Internationale Kunst Ausstellung (June–September 1926), reflecting the work’s international circulation and institutional visibility during Gris’s lifetime.
Gris died in Boulogne-Billancourt in 1927, ending a career that had become central to the evolution of Synthetic Cubism and its later adaptations across media.
