Chaïm Soutine
Expressionist painter of the School of Paris, known for carcass paintings.
Chaïm Soutine, born in 1893 in Smilavichy, then part of the Russian Empire and now Belarus, was the tenth of eleven children in a Jewish family. After studying at a small art academy in Vilnius from 1910 to 1913, he emigrated to Paris with fellow artists Pinchus Krémègne and Michel Kikoine. There, he studied under Fernand Cormon and soon developed a highly personal vision and painting technique. In Paris, he lived at La Ruche, a low-cost residence for struggling artists in Montparnasse, where he encountered figures such as Archipenko, Chagall, and Brancusi. Through the sculptor Lipchitz, he met Amedeo Modigliani, who painted his portrait several times, most famously in 1917. Soutine’s poverty was extreme; he sometimes slept in stairways or on benches. Despite this, he immersed himself in the city, attending concerts of Baroque music and spending hours in the Louvre, where he felt a profound connection to Rembrandt, Goya, and Courbet. He also learned French, reading Balzac, Baudelaire, and Rimbaud. During World War I, his dealer Léopold Zborowski supported him, taking him to Nice. After the war, dealer Paul Guillaume championed his work, and in 1923, collector Albert C. Barnes purchased sixty of his paintings on the spot. Soutine, previously penniless, immediately hired a taxi to take him to Nice, over 400 miles away. He lived for years in the south of France, including in Céret, where locals called him "the dirty painter" due to his miserable living conditions. He often worked with only one canvas, walking long distances to find a site, and forgetting to eat. Critic Élie Faure described Soutine as one of the rare religious painters, whose material was among the most carnal that painting had expressed.
- born
- 13 January 1893
- died
- 9 August 1943
- field
- Painting
- nationality
- French (born in Russian Empire, present-day Belarus)
- known_for
- Expressionist still lifes, especially carcass paintings; bridge to Abstract Expressionism
Lore & Background
During World War I, art dealer Léopold Zborowski supported Soutine, taking him to Nice. In 1923, American collector Albert C. Barnes bought 60 of Soutine's paintings on the spot. Soutine lived in Céret from 1919, painting around 200 canvases between 1920 and 1922. He produced his famous carcass paintings, inspired by Rembrandt's Slaughtered Ox, after keeping an animal carcass in his studio. From 1930 to 1935, patrons Madeleine Castaing and her husband hosted him at their summer home. He participated in the 1937 exhibition The Origins and Development of International Independent Art at the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume.
Reader's Guide
Chaïm Soutine's significance lies in his role as a transitional figure between traditional European painting and the emerging Abstract Expressionist movement. His style, prioritizing shape, color, and texture over representation, was influenced by Rembrandt, Chardin, and Courbet. Soutine's carcass paintings, such as The Flayed Ox, became his most well-known works, demonstrating his intense emotional engagement with subject matter. Critic Élie Faure called him 'one of the rare religious painters the world has known.' Soutine's work was championed by dealers Paul Guillaume and Léopold Zborowski, and his 1923 sale to Albert C. Barnes brought him sudden financial relief. Despite his reclusive nature, his participation in the 1937 Jeu de Paume exhibition marked his recognition as a great painter. His legacy endures as a key figure of the School of Paris and a precursor to later abstract expressionists.
Did You Know?
- Soutine once horrified neighbors by keeping an animal carcass in his studio to paint it; the stench led to police being called.
- After Albert C. Barnes bought 60 of his paintings in 1923, Soutine hailed a taxi and ordered the driver to take him to Nice, over 400 miles away.
- Soutine was the 10th of 11 children in a Jewish family in present-day Belarus.
- He was nicknamed 'el pintre brut' ('the dirty painter') by locals in Céret due to his miserable living conditions.
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