Plate

Born in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, died 1970. Studied painting and sculpture at the Odessa School of Fine Arts from 1902 to 1907. Visited Paris in 1910-11 where he worked in Baranov-Rossiné's studio and met Marc Chagall , Alexander Archipenko and David Sterenberg who were then living there. After returning to Russia, he taught painting for a year in Vinnytsia and in 1912 settled in Petersburg. In 1918 he became director of the Plastic Arts department of Narkobros as well as director of the Museum of Artistic Education. He was a member of the Youth Union, Inhook Moscow, the Komfuts (Communist-Futurists) and the Jewish Society for the Propagation of the Arts. He settled a second time in Paris in 1928, where he lived until 1936. In 1936 he returned to Leningrad where he lived the rest of his life working as a painter, set designer, book designer and sculptor.