Chris Lebeau
designer
Chris Lebeau (1878–1945) was a versatile Dutch artist and designer who was a significant representative of the Dutch Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements. Born into a poor working-class family in Amsterdam with strong socialist and anarchist convictions, he studied at the Rijksschool voor Kunstnijverheid from 1895 to 1899. Lebeau's work was heavily influenced by the ideas of William Morris, aiming to bring beauty and quality back to design and craftsmanship. He worked as a teacher at the School for Applied Arts in Haarlem (1904–1913) and designed a wide range of items including batik, ceramics, damask, stained glass, interior fabrics, and theater decorations. His designs were notable for their intricate patterns inspired by nature. Despite his artistic success, he lived in relative poverty and was eventually arrested during World War II, dying in the Dachau concentration camp.[1,2,3,8,9,10]
Themes
- Art Nouveau
- Art Deco
- William Morris influence
- Nature motifs
- Socialism
- Anarchism
Books
-
In en om de Philips Fabriekendesigner
Works by Chris Lebeau
- In en om de Philips Fabrieken 1920 · N.V. Eindhovensche Drukkerij v.h. Schäfer & Co · book · Dutch Design of the book cover and several full-page designs.
Exhibitions
- 2014 Chris Lebeau I Flora en Fauna TextielMuseum solo