MOÏSE KISLING

Moise Kisling (January 22, 1891 - April 29, 1953) was a Polish painter. Born in Kraków, Austria-Hungary, he studied at the School of Fine Arts inKraków, where he was encouraged to travel to the center for artisticcreativity in the early 20th century, Paris, France. In 1910, Kisling moved to Montmartre and a few years later to Montparnasse. Atthe outbreak of World War I he volunteered for service in the FrenchForeign Legion, and in 1915 he was seriously wounded in the Battle ofthe Somme, for which he was awarded French citizenship. Kisling lived and worked in Montparnasse where he was part of the renownedartistic community gathered there at the time. For a short time he livedin the Bateau-Lavoir in Montmartre and in 1911?12 spent nearly a yearat Céret. In 1913 he took a studio in Montparnasse, where he lived forthe next 27 years; Jules Pascin and later Modigliani lived in the samebuilding. He became close friends with many of his contemporaries,including Amedeo Modigliani, who painted him in 1916 (today at the Museed’Art Moderne). His style used in painting landscapes is similar tothat of Marc Chagall, but, a master at depicting the female body, hissurreal nudes and portraits earned him the widest acclaim. Kislingvolunteered for army service again in 1940. When the French Army wasdischarged at the time of the surrender to the Germans, Kisling who wasof Jewish origin went to the United States and, after exhibitions in NewYork and Washington, lived in California until 1946. Moise Kisling diedin Sanary-sur-Mer, Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France on April 29,1953. A residential street in the town is named after him.