George Artemoff
1892 - 1965

George Artemoff was born in the Don Valley area of Russia in 1892.

He studied in Rostov and Moscow before he came to the Montparnasse district of Paris in 1913. There he became acquainted with Ossip Zadkine, Juan Gris, Jules Pascin, Modigliani, and Picasso.

In 1914 he joined the French Foreign Legion, only to be wounded at Champagne.

He returned to Russia where he remained through the Revolution until 1923. In 1923 he took a studio in Paris. His work was influenced by his Russian heritage; he often painted scenes featuring Cossacks or various themes from Russian folklore.

In 1927, he exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs where he won the silver medal, and in 1928, the gold medal. He exhibited continuously throughout the 1930s in Paris and all across France.

In 1937 his work was featured in one of the pavilions at l'Exposition Universalle, one of the most important exhibitions of the decade.

His work was almost always figurative, usually featuring women, though he also painted some religious compositions, still life, and a very few landscapes.

Artemoff's work was clearly influenced by his famous friends, though his own unique style makes his work readily identifiable.

Artemoff died in 1965. A retrospective exhibition in Toulouse, France in 1992 celebrated 100 years since his birth.