Ossip Zadkine

Raised in the Russian Empire, Zadkine left at a young age to study in Northen England, where he lived with his uncle in Sunderland. He took wood sculpting classes at a local art school before moving to London, where he frequently visited the British Museum to study classical sculpture and attended courses at the Regent Street Polytechnic until he moved to France in 1909.

Zadkine enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and spent a lot of time at La Ruche, where he met many of the most renowned artists of the time. In 1911, he exhibited at the Salon d’Automne and the Salon des Indépendants. While keeping his studio at La Ruche, he mingled with prominent figures such as Brancusi, Apollinaire, Lipchitz, and Picasso, who influenced his work. Between 1914 and 1915, he exhibited in various cities including Berlin, Amsterdam, and London. It was during this time that he caught the attention of the collector and architect Paul Rodocanachi, who provided him with a permanent studio in Paris. He also developed a friendship with the artist Modigliani.

Few years after returning from the first world war, Zadkine married Valentine Prax, an artist, with whom he remained until the end of his life. Throughout the 1920s, he traveled frequently, including to Italy, and exhibited in international galleries, as far as Tokyo. He also took commissioned works, such as the monumental fresco “The Dance” for the Métropole cinema in Brussels. His fame solidified during his lifetime, but World War II forced him to flee to the UnitedStates. During this time, he taught at the Art Students League. Upon his return to France after the war, he continued to exhibit worldwide (Canada, the United States, Japan) and taught at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris until 1958.

Having a second studio in Arques, in the Lot region, Zadkine primarily dedicated himself to sculpture, and from the 1960s onward, he frequently created works in homage to Van Gogh.

Today, he is recognized as one of the great masters of 20th-century cubist sculpture. The artist left behind him a rich and eclectic artistic legacy, including numerous sculptures, watercolors, gouaches, engravings, drawings, as well as tapestry designs and book illustrations.