Marc Sterling (1897-1976) Still Life Oil

Marc STERLING (1897-1976)
still life with swallow,
oil on thin cardboard,
monogrammed,
thin cardboard: 37 x 37 cm
image: 19 x 19 cm

Marc Sterling was born in Prilouki, a small town in Ukraine. In 1917, Sterling became involved in the revolution and the Russian avant-garde movements. With Vladimir Tatlin as his master, he studied at the Vhutemas, a revolutionary school that brought together the School of Fine Arts and the School of Decorative Arts. He came into contact with revolutionary artists including Mayakovsky, with whom he frequented the propaganda poster workshops. In 1922, Mayakovsky took him to Berlin. He arrived in Paris in 1923, Sterling frequented the terraces where the artists of Montparnasse met. He signed a three-year contract with the Zak gallery. During the Second World War, Marc Sterling and his family took refuge with friends. In 1941, Basia died following an operation. For the next five years, Sterling lost all contact with the Parisian artistic community. Returning to Paris in 1947, he obtained French citizenship, rejoined his friends from Montparnasse and exhibited in France and abroad. He met Éliane, a Swiss sculptor and student of Zadkine, who became his partner in 1953. They both settled in Peseux near Neuchâtel, Switzerland. In 1956, he returned to live in Paris, traveling to Holland, Italy, Spain and Israel.