Francis Steegmuller collection of Jacques Villon

Jacques Villon was born Gaston Duchamp in Eure, France, on July 31, 1875. The oldest of seven children, his siblings included the artists Marcel Duchamp and Raymond Duchamp-Villon. Early in his career, he learned the art of engraving from his grandfather, Emile-Frédéric Nicolle, a noted amateur artist. In 1894 Villon was sent to Paris to study law, but soon devoted most of his time to art, contributing engravings and drawings to various newspapers, while also working on more serious paintings and prints. It was at this time that he took the name Jacques Villon, soon copied by his brother Raymond, who added the name Villon to his birth name of Duchamp. Villon exhibited his work in the early Cubist shows in Paris, and was one of the early members of the Salon d'Automne, which sponsored exhibitions of modern art each Fall. He was also one of the organizers of the Section d'Or, a group of Cubist artists including Marcel Duchamp, Raymond Duchamp-Villon, Juan Gris, and Fernand Léger.

In 1906 he moved to Puteaux, a suburb of Paris which had begun to attract like-minded artists, where he would live the rest of his life. In 1913, he married Gabrielle (Gaby) Charlotte Marie Boeuf. After serving in the infantry and in a camouflage unit during World War I, he continued to live outside of Paris, concentrating on his work, while remaining active in modern art circles. In the early 1930's, Villon took a student named Beatrice Stein, beginning a friendship with her and her husband, the writer and critic Francis Steegmuller, which would last until Villon's death.

After 1945, Villon began to achieve the widespread recognition that had previously eluded him. During this period, he was awarded first prize at the Carnegie International in 1950, Grand Prize for painting at the Venice Biennale in 1956, and the Grand Prize for painting at the Exposition Internationale in Brussels in 1958. In 1963 he was elected Grand Officer of the Légion d'Honneur in France. He died that year in Puteaux.