Born to a distinguished family of Versailles, he received his artistic training at the Académie Julian from the impressionists Alfred Philippe Roll and Henri Gervex.

At the Académie Julian he met Émile Bernard and Paul Sérusier in 1892, shortly afterwards becoming a member of their artist group, Les Nabis.

Like many other Nabi he spent the summers from 1888 to 1897 in Brittany, some sources[citation needed] record that he met Bernard and Sérusier there.

In fact many sources[citation needed] refer to him solely as sculptor.

Georges Lacombe died of tuberculosis in Alençon, Orne on 29 June 1916, eleven days after his 48th birthday.