MOÏSE KISLING 1891-1953

Originating in Poland, Kisling moved to Paris in 1911, where he soon became one of fhe main protagonists of the École de Paris alongside Amedeo Modigliani, André Derain or the poet Jean Cocteau.
His style was at first influenced by Derain and Cézanne. Then, with Braque and Picasso he painted in a geometric manner and embued himself with the Cubist movement. He was also a painter of the female nude (Kiki de Montparnasse often posed for him) and his portraits of the Paris society (Arletty, Cocteau, Colette, Marie Laurencin...) made him famous.
When the Second World War broke out, he fled Paris through Spain and Portugal to move in New York in 1941.
His painting was also successful on the other side of the Atlantic, he exhibited at the Whitney Museum and at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.
He came back in France in August 1946 where he definitely settled in Sanary-sur-Mer where he died in April 29th 1953.