Robert Genin

Robert Genin (; ; born 11 August 1884 in Vysokoye near Klimovichi in the Region of Mogilev, now Belarus; died 16 August 1941 in Moscow) was a Russian artist, painter, draftsman, and illustrator of Jewish origin, who lived in the Russian Empire, Germany, France, Switzerland and the USSR.

Biography Born on 11 August 1884 in the family of a Jewish tradesman, Genin studied art in Vilna (1898–1900) and in Odessa (1900–1902). At the end of 1902 he moved to Munich where for a couple of weeks he attended the school of Anton Ažbe. In 1903, he moved to Paris, where he lived in La Ruche from 1905 to 1907. In Paris, he admired the art of Puvis de Chavannes, and many notable early works of Genin (until 1914) bear his influence.

In 1907, Genin returned to Munich and began to work for the magazine Jugend, where 40 of his illustrations were published. In 1912, he became one of the founding members of the artists group Sema, and in 1913 became a member of the Münchener neue Secession. The outbreak of the First World War (1914–1918) was a disastrous turn for this rise in the German art scene, and during the war Genin was interned in Munich as citizen of a hostile state. After the war he moved to Berlin.

In 1919, Genin has acquired a small house in the fishing village of Ascona in Switzerland, where he subsequently spent several months each year. Genin wrote and illustrated a book about his impressions, which was published 1928.

In 1929, Genin moved to Paris. There, his artistic style developed further under the influence of Fauvism and Neo-primitivism.

In 1936, Genin finally returned to the USSR, with the intention of taking an active part in building up the new socialist society by painting frescos on the walls of Moscow's new buildings. In March of that year, while Genin was already in Moscow, his first (and the last) American exhibition was held in NYC at Lilienfeld Galleries.

In Moscow, his first major commission was a fresco for one of the pavilions at the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition (VSKhV). However, in October 1938, the fresco was covered up, in line with the political processes which had gained strength in the USSR. 1928, Cologne, Kunstgewerbemuseum 1932, Amsterdam, Galerie Kunstzalen A. Vecht Ostdeutsche Galerie, Regensburg RGALI, Moscow Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Pushkin Museum, Moscow Berlinische Galerie, Berlin Museum Ludwig, Cologne Von der Heydt Museum, Wuppertal Lenbachhaus, Munich Belarusian National Arts Museum, Minsk MOMA, New-York

Major publications about him 1914 Burger, Fritz. Robert Genin – München// Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration, 1914, 1, Heft 4, S. 288–296. (in German) 1931 Fierens, Paul. Guenine or childhood regained// Formes, 1931, No.19, p. 157-161. (versions in English and in French) 2011 Родионов, Алексей. Художник Роберт Генин (1884–1941). Творчество и судьба// Бюллетень Музея Марка Шагала, 2011, No.19-20, с. 137–156. (in Russian) 2011 Fischer, Matthias. Der Briefwechsel mit Robert Genin// Sie lieber Herr Im Obersteg sind unser Schweizer für alles, Kunstmuseum Basel, 2011, S. 41–75. (in German) 2013 Rodionov, Alexej. Robert Genin. Auf der Suche nach dem Paradies: Bali, 1926. St-Petersburg, 2013, 96 S. (versions in German and in Russian) 2019 Robert Genin (1884–1941). Russischer Expressionist in München. Ausstellungskatalog. Hrsg. vom Schloßmuseum Murnau. 2019. 216 S. (versions in German or in Russian)

Gallery