Michel Adlen, *Les mendiantes*, 1923

Michel Adlen (1898–1980)

Les mendiantes, 1923

etching on paper, 15.5 x 11.8 (print)

signed lower right: Michel Adlen, ed . 5/50

From 1918 to 1920, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, illustrated the magazine *Die Muskete*, and held his first exhibition there. In 1923, he spent a short time in Berlin, where he also participated in painting exhibitions. That same year, he left for France, settled in Paris, and spent the rest of his life there. In 1929, he received French citizenship. In 1932, the first album of Michel Adlen’s lithographs was published, with a foreword by André Salmon. He participated in the International Woodcut Exhibition held in Warsaw in 1936; a year later, he began collaborating with the magazine *Nos artistes*. In 1955, Armand Lanoux published a monograph on Adlen’s work; five years later, it was published in a more comprehensive edition under the title *Clown de Paris*. His final album of paintings was published in 1963, with a foreword by Peter McOrlan. His works were exhibited at the Salon d’Automne, the Salon des Tuileries, and other exhibitions. He was a member of numerous artistic groups, including La Satire, Les Imagiers, and L’Araigne, and belonged to the Société des Artistes Russes. He was among the co-founders of the Association des Artistes Peintres et Sculpteurs Juifs en France. In addition to painting, he worked in graphic arts and as an illustrator for books and magazines. During different periods of his career, he was influenced by various styles, including Cubism and Fauvism. He was fascinated by the work of Paul Cézanne, Camille Pissarro, and Jean-Baptiste Corot. The artist remained active until the end of his life; he died in his studio at the age of 81.