25 December 1883] – 14 August 1939) was a Russian painter and draughtsman of Jewish descent best known for his portrayals of Vladimir Lenin and other Soviet leaders, renowned as blueprint examples of the Socialist realist style.

[1] Brodsky was born in the village of Sofiyivka near Berdyansk in modern day Ukraine to Yisrael, a Jewish merchant.

[2] Brodsky was on good terms with many leading Russian painters, including his mentor, Ilya Repin.

He was an avid art collector who donated numerous first-class paintings to museums in his native Ukraine and elsewhere.

His art collection included important works by Repin, Vasily Surikov, Valentin Serov, Isaak Levitan, Mikhail Vrubel, and Boris Kustodiev.