Serge Ivanoff

Serge Petrovitch Ivanoff (25 December 1893, Moscow – 8 February 1983, Paris) was a French painter of Russian origin.

But before leaving, he travelled discreetly through the Russian countryside to set down on paper his visions of deep Russia which will mark him forever.

He had a small testimonial book published there: "La famine en Russie Bolchévique", in which he illustrated a poignant text with his rigorous drawings.

Finally exiled, he created book illustrations, posters and advertisements to earn a living, while in the mean time continuing his artistic research.

He produced reportage drawings, such as these series of paintings representing the Hôtel Drouot[5] or these watercolors presenting the Cathedrals of France, of which the Musée Carnavalet acquired several pieces in 1988.

Van Cleef & Arpels commissioned a portrait from him for the New York Exhibition in 1939,[6] depicting a model wearing jewelry from the "Passe-Partout" collection.

First of all, the familiarization with the great masters of the past of the Italian school, then the beginning of a career as a portraitist of prelates of the Catholic Church.

In 1965, France's first Minister of Cultural Affairs, André Malraux, awarded him a gold medal for his painting "Menaces" (Threats).

[5][citation needed] This painting is now in the collection of the Russian Embassy in Paris (donated by the Ivanoff family on the death of the artist).

In parallel with his portrait commissions and his work as an illustrator and decorator, Serge Ivanoff never ceases to pursue his research into several dimensions of painting.