Abraham Mintchine (4 April 1898 – 25 April 1931) was one of the major painters associated to the artists' environment known as

School of Paris The School of Paris (french: École de Paris) refers to the French and émigré artists who worked in Paris in the first half of the 20th century. The School of Paris was not a single art movement or institution, but refers to the importance ...

. Mintchine was Jewish and immigrated from Kyiv in Ukraine to Paris in 1925. His known artwork was produced mostly while in Paris and la Garde, between 1926 and 1931. He is famous for vibrant paintings where mysticism is also often present. His work can be related to

expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

, although as highlighted by

Giovanni Testori Giovanni Testori (Novate Milanese, 12 May 1923 – Milan, 16 March 1993) was an Italian writer, journalist, poet, art and literary critic, dramatist, screenplay writer, theatrical director and painter. Biography Childhood and youth “It is ...

, these categories which are convenient in art history are often too narrow to characterise painters like Mintchine. Mintchine was born in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

where at age 13 he was an apprentice to a goldsmith. He began painting from the age of 16 and studied at the Kyiv Art College (together with Josyf Weissblatt, Olexandr Tyshler) and at Olexandra Exter. Later he left Ukraine for Berlin in 1923. In Berlin he designed sets and costumes for the Jewish theatre. At the time of his first exhibition in Berlin he displayed artwork in a style close to

Cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...

(only one painting from this period is known). Mintchine's most prolific and self-defining period started when he arrived in Paris around 1925. There he developed an exalted style, through dense and vibrant compositions. Mintchine's life was not easy. In extreme poverty and married with a child, he nonetheless succeeded to develop a very characteristic style. On a number of occasions, Mintchine integrates mysticism in his compositions (often representations of Angels or angelic elements such as wings). Later, in 1929, the art dealer

René Gimpel René Albert Gimpel (4 October 1881–3 January 1945) was a prominent French art dealer of Alsatian Jewish descent who died in 1945 in Neuengamme concentration camp, near Hamburg, Germany. Friend and patron of living artists and collectors, he ...

identified Mintchine as a "genius" painter and start buying all his paintings. About Mintchine's condition, he wrote in his journal: "he barely managed to scrape a 100 sous to live on; he wouldn't eat, and, dying of hunger would say to his wife: 'Eat, Mintchine isn't hungry'." Abraham Mintchine - Pierrot 1928

Mintchine's art reflects an exceptional intensity. His artwork is less tormented than Soutine's, conveying passion through great poetry (often with the addition of

mystical Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...

elements). Mintchine's life was short but very prolific. Suffering from tuberculosis, he died at only 33 of a brain aneurysm (or possibly heart attack) while painting ''The Hill with Red Flowers'' ( La Garde, 1931). Abraham Mintchine - Portrait of the Artist as a Harlequin 1931

Abraham Mintchine - Portrait of the Artist as a Harlequin 1931

Due to his death at a young age his artwork is generally rarer than others from the same period. More recently, several signed counterfeits have emerged. However, many of his artworks have been published by Massimo Di Veroli who continues to authenticate it. Abraham Mintchine’s artwork is present in collections of major Museums and galleries, including

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

. In 2022 the Mintchine Society was launched. The association has for role to protect and promote Abraham Mintchine’s artwork. It published
new website
which contains an up-to date catalogue raisonné and a variety of documents about Abraham Mintchine. The platform also offers a unique point of contact for collectionneurs and curators all over the world.

References

External links

Abraham Mintchine - WikiGallery.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mintchine, Abraham 1898 births 20th-century French painters 20th-century Russian male artists French male painters 20th-century Russian painters Russian male painters School of Paris 1931 deaths