The Coffee Mill (Le moulin a cafe), 1916

Juan Gris (1887 -1927) was a major figure in the Cubism movement alongside Picasso and Braque. Amongst the avant-garde of early 20th century Paris, Gris adopted the radical style of the time in his own distinctive way. His work has a graphic sensibility informed by his background of illustration for newspapers, lending his paintings the quality of slick design. Always concerned with achieving a pleasant balance in his compositions, Gris expressed simple everyday subjects in a prism of planes and geometric shapes.