Honore Auclair Gleizes was born in 1855 in Ariege in the south of France. He moved to Paris and began to paint. He was the uncle of Albert Gleizes and assisted him greatly in the beginning of his career. The family moved to Courbevoie to the west of Paris where they remained. Honore was a fine painter but received little recognition - he was the inspiration for Labert Gleizes early impressionist paintings along the Seine around Neuilly - in fact it can be said that Albert Gleizes copied the work of his uncle.

Honore was very proud of his nephew but Albert Gleizes ran into trouble in 1911 at the first major exhibition of cubist art. The exhibition was heavily criticised and Alberts father was furious with his son - Albert chose to go and live with his uncle Honore. In the following year the two painters exhibited together at the Section D'Or in Paris alongside Metzinger, Picabia, Kupka, Laurencin and others.