Fernand Léger’s masterpiece The City (1919), in which the French painter represents, with vibrant colours, the chaos and movement of the urban environment, is the starting point of Léger: Modern Art and the Metropolis. As a man who saw with optimism the growth of cities and was passionate about the innovations of his time – the end of the 19th to the mid 20th century, Léger died in 1955 – he would probably enjoy the multimedia presentation of his oeuvre in this show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The selection of artworks also includes films, theatre, graphic and advertising design by Léger and other modernist artists who welcomed the technological novelties of the early 20th century.

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, until 5 January 2014.