Erik Schmidt (painter)

At the end of October 1943 the danger from a new Soviet occupation became possible and Erik Schmidt and his parents decided to leave everything and flee to Sweden where they got a warm welcome from the ship-owning Brodin family.

During one of these visits to New York City he met the Armenian painter Ariel Agemian, who had ended his studies at the Accademia di Belle Arti of Venice with a gold medal, and been dubbed Knight of the Order of St. Gregory by Pope Pius XII.

Agemian was a very gifted and capable teacher, who brought a complete change into Erik's seafaring life.

During his voyages to South American ports, Schmidt tried his hand at drawing and painting, showed the results to Ariel, and was guided and encouraged by him, until he finally decided to give up seafaring and become a painter.

After a stay in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1957, he established himself in Palma de Mallorca, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life.