Jean Souverbie

Jean Souverbie (1891–1981) was a French painter associated with a classical modernist style that combined elements of Cubism with monumental figuration and was also influenced by the decorative traditions of the Nabis. His major work, La Musique (1936–1937), was created for the Théâtre du Palais de Chaillot in Paris. In addition to his painting practice, he taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1937 -1960), where an atelier of mural painting was created for him. He played an important role in the academic training of artists in postwar Paris, including Ellsworth Kelly, who studied at the École in 1948. Through Souverbie, Kelly met the fellow American painter Jack Youngerman, with whom he became close friends.