Georges Karpeles

Background

Georges Kars was born to a German Jewish family.

Education

He studied art in Munich from 1899 with Heinrich Knirr and Franz von Stuck.

Career

From 1905 he travelled to Madrid where he met Juan Gris and immersed himself in the painting style of Velasquez and Goya. In 1908, Kars arrived in Paris and settled in Montmartre at the time of the Cubist revolution, which also had an influence on his work, he met Suzanne Valadon and Maurice Utrillo well connected to the artist community. His work was interrupted by the First World War which he spent on the Galician Front and in Russian captivity.

In 1928, an exhibition of his work takes place at the Berthe Weill gallery.

In 1939, he took refuge in Lyon where is started to draw children with a sad expression. In 1942 he moved to the safety of his sister"s home in Switzerland.

He committed suicide in 1945 most likely after receiving news of the deaths of relatives. Pierre Levy, a French industrialist and art collector, and Oscar Ghez acquired an important part of the artworks.

In 1983, Modern Art Museum of Troyes staged the first Kars retrospective.

Connections

Friend:

Max Jacob