Jean Hugo

Jean Hugo was a French painter, illustrator and theater designer, born in 1894, in Paris, France. He was in the thick of the Paris art scene, between the wars. A member of the avant garde art movement, he was a friend of Picasso, Cocteau and Colette and was associated with the Neo Romantics. His small gouaches on paper were avidly collected by Dr. Albert Barnes and are exhibited in the Barnes Collection, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Hugo's most desirable works, such as landscapes, interior scenes and set designs, date from the mid-1920s to the late-1930s. He is predominantly known for his sketches and oil or gouache paintings, which are often executed in small formats. He has also illustrated books, designed theater sets and costumes and produced ceramics, murals, textile designs and stained glass windows.