Leon Kaufmann - Autoportret z papierosem

Leon Kaufmann, in French, Léon Kamir Kaufmann, also known as Kamir or Kamir-Kaufman (8 June 1872, Pawłowo - 27 May 1933,

Louveciennes Louveciennes () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, between Versailles and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and adjacent to Marly-le-Roi. Population ...

) was a Polish painter and

pastel A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...

artist who worked in France after 1902.Biography by H. Bartnicka-Górska, from: ''Słownik artystów polskich i obcych w Polsce działających. Malarze, rzeźbiarze, graficy.'' (6 vols), J. Maurin Białostocka, J. Derwojeda (eds.), Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, 2003

Biography

His first art lessons were in 1888, at the in Warsaw with Wojciech Gerson. In 1895, he moved to Munich, where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts with

Simon Hollósy Simon Hollósy; (2 February 1857, Máramarossziget (now Sighetu Marmației, Romania) – 8 May 1918, Técső (now Tiachiv, Ukraine) was a Hungarian painter of Armenian ancestry; original name was: Choriban (Korbuly).Gudenus János József:Ör ...

until 1897. The following year, he entered the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

in Paris. On that occasion, his primary instructor was

Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant (also known as Benjamin-Constant), born Jean-Joseph Constant (10 June 1845 – 26 May 1902), was a French painter and etcher best known for his Oriental subjects and portraits. Biography Benjamin-Constant was bor ...

.Ewa Millicer, ''Mistrzowie pastelu. Od Marteau do Witkacego'', Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie, 2015 W 1900 powrócił do Warszawy. From 1901 to 1902, he and the literary critic held an artistic cabaret at his studio, which was regularly attended by the author, Zofia Nałkowska and Tadeusz Ulanowski (1872-1942), a noted actor, among others. In 1902, he left for Paris and settled there permanently, but never broke off contact with his homeland, paying frequent visits to Warsaw and

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

, where he was the guest of the philanthropist, . In 1914, he married Odette Dessauces, from a wealthy French family. They settled on an estate in Louveciennes in 1922, but he maintained his studio in Paris. He continued to exhibit in Poland; notably with the and in the salon of . He also worked with the "Protection Society for Children of the Jewish Religion". In Paris, he favored the

Salon d'Automne The Salon d'Automne (; en, Autumn Salon), or Société du Salon d'automne, is an art exhibition held annually in Paris, France. Since 2011, it is held on the Champs-Élysées, between the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, in mid-October. The ...

, the salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts (of which he became a member in 1911) and the Salon des Tuileries. He also held personal exhibitions and a few in other European cities, such as London, Venice and Vienna. He painted in a variety of genres; including portraits, landscapes and interior scenes. Although he lived in France, he apparently never became involved in the various artistic schools that developed there. His pastel portraits, however, were inspired by Luminist techniques and were designed to give an impression of vagueness. Among those he portrayed were the French composers and musicians

Alfred Cortot Alfred Denis Cortot (; 26 September 187715 June 1962) was a French pianist, conductor, and teacher who was one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century. A pianist of massive repertory, he was especially valued for his poeti ...

, Paul Dukas,

Reynaldo Hahn Reynaldo Hahn (; 9 August 1874 – 28 January 1947) was a Venezuelan-born French composer, conductor, music critic, and singer. He is best known for his songs – ''mélodies'' – of which he wrote more than 100. Hahn was born in Caracas b ...

and

Ferruccio Busoni Ferruccio Busoni (1 April 1866 – 27 July 1924) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and teacher. His international career and reputation led him to work closely with many of the leading musicians, artists and literary ...

. His portraits of Polish notables included

Wanda Landowska Wanda Aleksandra Landowska (5 July 1879 – 16 August 1959) was a Polish harpsichordist and pianist whose performances, teaching, writings and especially her many recordings played a large role in reviving the popularity of the harpsichord in t ...

, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Józef Hofmann,

Stanisław Przybyszewski Stanisław Przybyszewski (; 7 May 1868 – 23 November 1927) was a Polish novelist, dramatist, and poet of the decadent naturalistic school. His drama is associated with the Symbolist movement. He wrote both in German and in Polish. Life Stanis� ...

and

Jan Rosen Jan Bogumił Rosen (16 October 1854 in Warsaw – 8 November 1936 in Warsaw) was a Polish painter of Jewish ancestry, known primarily for his battle scenes. His son was the muralist and mosaicist, Jan Henryk de Rosen. Biography He was born to ...

Selected works

File:Leon Kaufmann - Portret Ignacego Paderewskiego (Hommage au Grand Polonais).jpg, Portrait of Paderewski File:Kaufmann-Nocny ptak.jpg, Night Bird File:Kaufmann View of Lido.jpg, View of

Lido Lido may refer to: Geography Africa * Lido, a district in the city of Fez, Morocco Asia * Lido, an area in Chaoyang District, Beijing * Lido, a cinema theater in Siam Square shopping area in Bangkok * Lido City, a resort in West Java owned by MN ...

File:Leon Kaufmann Weranda pałacu w Malmaison 1931.jpg, The Veranda at Malmaison File:Kaufmann-Nude.jpg, Seated Female Nude

References

External links

More works by Kaufmann
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaufmann, Leon 1872 births 1933 deaths Polish painters Polish male painters Polish portrait painters Polish landscape painters Pastel artists Emigrants from Congress Poland to France