Georges Braque, Pélias et Nélée, 1963 — Colour Lithograph

A striking colour lithograph by Georges Braque (1882–1963), one of the defining figures of 20th-century European modernism and, alongside Pablo Picasso, a principal founder of Cubism.

Titled Pélias et Nélée and dating to 1963, the final year of Braque’s life, the composition demonstrates the artist’s continued exploration of simplified form, movement and abstraction. Bold black silhouettes are layered over richly worked passages of cobalt and powder blue, creating a composition that feels at once graphic, lyrical and distinctly Braque.

Braque’s extraordinary career spanned more than six decades. After his pioneering experiments with Picasso transformed European painting through the development of Cubism, his work evolved toward an increasingly personal visual language characterized by birds, still lifes, classical references and highly distilled forms. His later works are particularly admired for their confidence and economy, reducing subjects to powerful shapes and carefully considered relationships of colour and space.

This example is a colour lithograph printed in Paris by E. Guillot, maître-imprimeur. It bears Braque’s signature within the plate at lower right and is numbered in pencil at lower left from an edition of 500. The generous unprinted lower portion of the sheet gives the composition an especially elegant, almost architectural presence.

The work has been beautifully presented in a gilt wood Italian frame, its warm gold finish providing a sophisticated counterpoint to Braque’s saturated blues and blacks. It is protected beneath museum glass, offering enhanced clarity and preservation while minimizing distracting reflections.

A particularly decorative example of Braque’s late graphic work, equally compelling within a collection of European modernism or placed as a singular statement in a contemporary or traditional interior.

Artist: Georges Braque (French, 1882–1963)
Title: Pélias et Nélée
Date: 1963
Medium: Colour lithograph on paper
Edition: From an edition of 500
Signature: Signed in the plate, lower right
Printer: E. Guillot, Maître-Imprimeur, Paris
Framing: Gilt wood Italian frame with museum glass
Framed Dimensions: 23 in. × 29 in.