Gris, Juan [key], 1887–1927, Spanish cubist painter, whose original name was José Victoriano González. After studying in Madrid he settled in Paris in 1906, where he held his first exhibition at the Salon des Indépendents of 1912. Gris played an important role in the development of synthetic cubism. His paintings are composed of simple forms; at first they reflected an architectonic logic of design, but later they were given a more sumptuous, decorative treatment. The majority of his works are still-life oils and collages. Gris also painted several portraits. The Museum of Modern Art, New York City, has several still lifes.
See his letters (ed. and tr. by D. Cooper, 1956); catalog by J. T. Soby (1958); D. H. Kahnweiler, Juan Gris: His Life and Work (rev. ed. 1969); M. Rosenthal, Juan Gris (1983).
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