About
Max Jacob, born Max Alexandre in 1876 in Quimper, was a key figure of the Parisian avant-garde. Settled in Montmartre, he befriended Picasso, Apollinaire, and Modigliani. Converted to Catholicism in 1915, he published his major collection, Le Cornet à dés, in 1917, which marked Cubist poetry. A prolific painter and writer, he retired in 1921 to Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire. Arrested by the Gestapo in 1944, he died at the Drancy camp.
* 1876-07-12 — † 1944-03-05
Major works
- Le Cornet à dés (1917)prose poetry collection
- Saint Matorel (1911)novel
- La Défense de Tartufe (1919)essay
- Le Laboratoire central (1921)poetry collection
- Le Sacrifice impérial (1929)essay
Key milestones
- 1909Experience of a vision of Christ, leading to his conversion.
- 1915Baptized Catholic, with Picasso as godfather.
- 1944Arrested by the Gestapo, interned at Drancy, where he died.
Themes
cubismspiritualityavant-gardefriendshipmysticism
Sources: id.loc.gov · metmuseum.org · cheminsdememoire.gouv.fr