Born in 1882, Auguste Herbin enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lille in 1898, where he studied until 1901 before moving to Paris. Initially influenced by Fauvist works, he painted still lifes and landscapes with strong structures and vibrant colors. In 1909, he met Braque and Picasso at the Bateau Lavoir, leading his work toward Cubism. That same year, a trip to Corsica introduced him to light and color elements that would remain essential to his painting. In 1910 and 1912, he exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants and with the Section d’Or group alongside Gleizes, Metzinger, Léger, and Delaunay, before creating his first abstract works in 1917.

Around 1920, he discovered geometric painting, for which he would become famous, initially using it in a decorative manner. His definitive style took shape around 1927 as he focused on “pure” geometric abstraction.

In 1931, he co-founded the Abstraction-Création movement with Georges Vantongerloo, and in 1948, he published L’art non figuratif, non objectif, explaining his artistic principles.

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