Ossip Zadkine

Born on January 28, 1888, in Vitsebsk, then part of the Russian Empire (now Belarus), Ossip Zadkine was a significant figure of the School of Paris, most widely known for his Cubist-inspired sculptures of the human form.

Raised in a family of mixed heritage, Zadkine was the son of a baptized Jewish father and a mother, Zippa-Dvoyra, whom he claimed was of Scottish descent.

At the age of fifteen, Zadkine was sent by his father to Sunderland to learn English and "good manners." This marked the beginning of his artistic journey; he later moved to London, where he attended the Regent Street Polytechnic.

By 1910, he had relocated to Paris, briefly studying at the École des Beaux-Arts before fully immersing himself in the vibrant art scene of La Ruche in 1911, an artists' residence in the Montparnasse district. In the French capital, he became acquainted with several avant-garde figures, including Pablo Picasso, and developed a fascination for Cubist art which had just emerged a few years prior. By around 1917, this influence had begun to shape his work, which also featured aesthetic inspiration from ancient African and Mediterranean art.

After serving in the French military during World War I, his work began to focus on politically motivated subjects. During World War II, because of his Jewish ancestry, he fled to unoccupied France and then to the United States, where he taught at the Art Students League in New York City. Following the war, he returned to France and visited Rotterdam in 1946, where the devastation from bombings left a profound impression on him. This haunting experience inspired some of his most celebrated sculptures, including Birth of Forms (1947), a poignant memorial to the ruined city.

Zadkine passed away in Paris in 1967, leaving behind a rich artistic heritage. His former home and studio in Montparnasse have now been transformed into the Musée Zadkine.