A key exponent of Cubism, Lhote dedicated his career to developing the movement's theoretical framework. Profusely contributing criticism and articles expounding his aesthetic views on the movement earned him the reputation of 'academician of Cubism'. Whilst he accepted the general principles of Cubism developed by Picasso and Braque, in composing complicated systems of interacting planes and semi-geometrical forms, Lhote found the monochrome palette limiting. Thus, he moved towards a more lyrical abstraction and experimented with a vibrant colour palette inspired by the Fauves, as exemplified in Nature Morte au Chinois. Lhote built up a huge artistic following through his extensive lecturing worldwide and his influential art school, the Académie Montparnasse, which he founded in 1922. The artist is represented in numerous collections worldwide, including: Museum of Modern Art, Chicago
Museum of Modern Art, Los Angeles
Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville, Paris
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux
Tate, London.