Leaves and Shell
- Artist: Fernand Léger
- Date: 1927
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 1295 x 972 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is “Leaves and Shell” by Fernand Léger, painted in 1927. Léger was famous for his bold celebration of machine‑made objects and the energy of modern city life. In the late 1920s, however, he began to weave natural forms into his compositions, and this painting is a clear example.
A sweeping, curved line runs down the left‑hand side, softening the rigid grid of horizontal and vertical planes that dominate the canvas. That line becomes a bridge to the organic shapes of a leaf and a shell, which are rendered with streamlined, almost aerodynamic lines. These naturalistic elements feel almost like a breath of life in the otherwise geometric structure, hinting that abstraction can coexist with the natural world.
It is one of the largest and final versions of this theme. The painting measures roughly 51 by 38 inches, and it was purchased by the collection in 1949. The juxtaposition of industrial clarity and flowing natural forms is what makes this work a striking snapshot of Léger’s evolving vision.
See it in person
Leaves and Shell is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
