Georges de Zayas

Georges de Zayas is documented primarily through his activities in 1919, utilizing the medium of prints and illustration to comment on the early modernist movement. Twelve of his graphic works are preserved in institutional archives, demonstrating his practice of portraiture and satirical commentary during this key period in avant-garde history.

The artist is best known for the portfolio Caricatures by Georges de Zayas: Eight Very Modern Painters, Two Sculptors and a Musician, published in 1919. This collection captures and satirizes some of the most prominent figures transforming 20th-century art. Specific subjects included in the portfolio are the painter Albert Gleizes, the sculptor Alexander Archipenko, the composer Erik Satie, and the influential sculptor Constantin Brancusi. These Georges de Zayas prints provide a graphic record of the personalities defining the immediate post-war artistic climate.

The significance of Zayas’s output is established by its inclusion in major collections, most notably the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). As historical documents of early modernism, many of these works are highly valued, often available today as high-quality prints for study and preservation, with some prints entering the public domain.