Morris Topchevsky

[1] Morris Topchevsky was born in Białystok, Poland (then a part of Russia) and immigrated to Chicago, Illinois with his family in 1910 to escape anti-Jewish violence.

In 1924, he traveled to Mexico City where he met influential Mexican artists like Diego Rivera.

[2] Upon his return to Chicago, he became an instructor at Hull House, the Abraham Lincoln School for Social Science, and the South Side Community Art Center.

In the 1930s he worked as part of the WPA’s Federal Art Project in Illinois.

Topchevsky served as an early mentor to Chicago artist Charles White.