Isaac Dobrinsky

Isaac Dobrinsky (1891–1973) was a Polish-French sculptor and painter of the School of Paris.

Early life He was born in the Polish city of Makarov, Kyiv province, now in Ukraine. His father was a religiously observant Jew and he himself was brought up in a traditional way: he studied in a "Heder" (Jewish elementary school) and in a "Yeshiva" (Jewish high school). He always found himself attracted to art. After his father’s sudden death he moved to Kyiv to study sculpture.

Education and career Dobrinsky lived in Kyiv for six years. He began sculpting terracotta figures, and enrolled in Sabatovski art school. He worked as a storekeeper in a tin can factory during this period. In 1912, he won a prize for his sculpture which allowed him to move to Paris where he lived until his death in 1973.

Upon his arrival in France, he became friends with the sculptor Marec Szwarc and the painter Chaïm Soutine who helped him settle down in Paris and shared their studio with him. Dobrinsky abandoned sculpture in favor of painting a year after his arrival, as a result of ill health. His first painting was shown at the Salon d'Automne a few months later.

In 1914, he joined the French Foreign Legion, but he was soon released on medical discharge.