Michel Kikoine
Encyclopedia
Michel Kikoine was a French painter of Jewish-Belarusian origin.
, Belarus
. The son of a Jewish banker in the small southeastern town of Gomel, he was barely into his teens when he began studying at "Kruger's School of Drawing" in Minsk
. There he met Chaim Soutine
, with whom he would have a lifelong friendship. At age 16 he and Soutine were studying at the Fine Arts School in Vilnia
and in 1911 he moved to join the growing artistic community gathering in the Montparnasse
Quarter of Paris, France. This artistic community included his friend Soutine
as well as fellow Belarus painter, Pinchus Kremegne
who also had studied at the Fine Arts School in Vilnia.
For a time, the young artist lived at La Ruche
while studying at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts
. In 1914, he married a young lady from Vilnia with whom he would have a daughter and a son. Their son, Jankel Jacques, born in France in 1920, also became a painter. The same year as his marriage, Kikoine volunteered to fight in the French army, serving until the end of World War I
.
With the outbreak of World War II
and the subsequent occupation of France by the German
s, Michel Kikoine and his Jewish family faced deportation to the Nazi
death camps. Until the end of the War they stayed near Toulouse
. After the Allied liberation of France, he moved back to Paris where his paintings were primarily nudes, autoportraits, and portraits. In 1958 he moved to Cannes
on the Mediterranean coast where he returned to landscape painting until his passing on November 4, 1968.
. His work was successful enough to provide a reasonable lifestyle for him and his family allowing them to spend summers painting landscapes in the south of France, the most notable of which is his "Paysage Cezannien," inspired by the great Paul Cézanne
. He died in Cannes
, France
.
, Israel
, a new wing in the Genia Schreiber University Art Gallery, was dedicated to the memory of Michel Kikoine.
Life
Kikoine was born in RechytsaRechytsa
Rechytsa is a town in the Homiel Province of Belarus. It is center of Rechytsa Raion. The city is situated at the mouth of Rechitsa river, flowing into Dnieper. The population is 65,532 as of 2005.-History:...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. The son of a Jewish banker in the small southeastern town of Gomel, he was barely into his teens when he began studying at "Kruger's School of Drawing" in Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
. There he met Chaim Soutine
Chaim Soutine
Chaïm Soutine was a Jewish painter from Belarus. Soutine made a major contribution to the expressionist movement while living in Paris....
, with whom he would have a lifelong friendship. At age 16 he and Soutine were studying at the Fine Arts School in Vilnia
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
and in 1911 he moved to join the growing artistic community gathering in the Montparnasse
Montparnasse
Montparnasse is an area of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail...
Quarter of Paris, France. This artistic community included his friend Soutine
Chaim Soutine
Chaïm Soutine was a Jewish painter from Belarus. Soutine made a major contribution to the expressionist movement while living in Paris....
as well as fellow Belarus painter, Pinchus Kremegne
Pinchus Kremegne
Pinchus Krémègne, aka Pinchus Kremegne , was a French artist of Jewish-Russian origin, primarily known as a sculptor, painter and lithographer....
who also had studied at the Fine Arts School in Vilnia.
For a time, the young artist lived at La Ruche
La Ruche
La Ruche is an artist's residence at the Paris South-Western outskirts.Located in the "Passage Dantzig," in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, La Ruche was an old three-storey circular structure that got its name because it looked more like a large beehive than any dwelling for humans...
while studying at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
. In 1914, he married a young lady from Vilnia with whom he would have a daughter and a son. Their son, Jankel Jacques, born in France in 1920, also became a painter. The same year as his marriage, Kikoine volunteered to fight in the French army, serving until the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
With the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the subsequent occupation of France by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
s, Michel Kikoine and his Jewish family faced deportation to the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
death camps. Until the end of the War they stayed near Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
. After the Allied liberation of France, he moved back to Paris where his paintings were primarily nudes, autoportraits, and portraits. In 1958 he moved to Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
on the Mediterranean coast where he returned to landscape painting until his passing on November 4, 1968.
Career
Michel Kikoine had his first exhibition in Paris in 1919 after which he exhibited regularly at the Salon d'AutomneSalon d'Automne
In 1903, the first Salon d'Automne was organized by Georges Rouault, André Derain, Henri Matisse, Angele Delasalle and Albert Marquet as a reaction to the conservative policies of the official Paris Salon...
. His work was successful enough to provide a reasonable lifestyle for him and his family allowing them to spend summers painting landscapes in the south of France, the most notable of which is his "Paysage Cezannien," inspired by the great Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. Cézanne can be said to form the bridge between late 19th...
. He died in Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Influence
In 2004, at the university in Tel AvivTel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, a new wing in the Genia Schreiber University Art Gallery, was dedicated to the memory of Michel Kikoine.