Adolf Izrailevich Milman () (born c. 1886 in Kishinev (

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

); died 15 January 1930 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

) was a Russian and

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

painter.

Biography

Milman was born into a large Jewish family in Kishinev, where he studied at a commercial school. In the early 1900s the family moved to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, where Milman entered the

Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture The Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (), also known by the acronym MUZHVZ, was one of the largest educational institutions in Russia. The school was formed by the 1865 merger of a private art college, established in Moscow ...

. From 1904 he attended the art studio of

Ilya Mashkov Ilya Ivanovich Mashkov (; – 20 March 1944) was a Russian artist, one of the most significant and at the same time most characteristic painters of the circle of " Jack of Diamonds" (). Biography He was born in the cossack village Mikhailovska ...

, who soon became his good friend. In the same studio the young artist became friends with

Robert Falk Robert Rafailovich Falk (, October 15, 1886 – October 1, 1958) was a Russian and Soviet avant-garde painter. Biography Falk was born in Moscow in 1886. In 1903 to 1904 he studied art in the studios of Konstantin Yuon and Ilya Mashkov, in 1905 ...

. From 1911 he was a member of the review board of the Jack of Diamonds art group. His works were displayed at its group expositions in 1912–1914. In October, 1917 Milman withdrew from the Jack of Diamonds group and joined The World of Art "

Mir iskusstva ''Mir iskusstva'' ( rus, «Мир искусства», p=ˈmʲir ɪˈskustvə, ''World of Art'') was both a Russian magazine and the artistic movement it fostered, playing a significant role in shaping the Russian avant-garde. The movement was d ...

" (Russian: Мир иску́сства) association together with Falk,

Aristarkh Lentulov Aristarkh Vasilyevich Lentulov (; 15 April 1943) was a major Russian avant-garde artist of Cubist orientation who also worked on set designs for the theatre. Biography Aristarkh Lentulov was born in the town of Nizhny Lomov in Penza Gover ...

and others. In 1912–1917 Milman taught in Mashkov's private studio of painting and drawing. The artist became ill with tuberculosis and took treatment in the

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

annually from 1914. In 1918 Milman took part in organizing the Fine Arts Department of Narkompros (the People's Commissariat for Education). The same year he moved to

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, where P. F. Chelishchev and S. M. Yutkevich were among his art students. Later he lived in Sudak in the

. At the same time he contracted

sleeping sickness African trypanosomiasis is an insect-borne parasitic infection of humans and other animals. Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as African sleeping sickness or simply sleeping sickness, is caused by the species '' Trypanosoma b ...

. His only personal exhibition took place in Feodosiya in 1920. From 1921 the artist lived in

, where his paintings were repeatedly exhibited for several years (till 1924), however he stopped painting in 1922. In 1920–1922 the Canadian artist

Edwin Holgate Edwin Headley Holgate (August 19, 1892 – May 21, 1977), was a Canadian painter, muralist, and printmaker. Holgate played a major role in Montreal's art community, and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, where he both studied and taught. He was k ...

studied with Milman. The artist spent last 8 years of his life bedridden and lost the ability to speak. He was buried in the

Montparnasse Cemetery Montparnasse Cemetery () is a cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, in the city's 14th arrondissement of Paris, 14th arrondissement. The cemetery is roughly 47 acres and is the second largest cemetery in Paris. The cemetery has over 35,00 ...

Gallery

Image:Adolf Milman, 'Village Street'.jpg, ''Village Street'', 1913; ( Taganrog Museum of Art) Image:1916 Milman Stilleben mit Puppe anagoria.JPG, ''Still life with a doll'', 1916; (

Tretyakov Gallery The State Tretyakov Gallery (; abbreviated ГТГ, ''GTG'') is an art gallery in Moscow, Russia, which is considered the foremost depository of Russian fine art in the world. The gallery's history starts in 1856 when the Muscovite merchant Pavel ...

)

External links

"Milman A."
artrz.ru
L'Europe nouvelle (Paris. 1918), 1921/06/25 (N26) p.818La Chronique des arts et de la curiosité : supplément à la Gazette des beaux-arts, 1921/06/30 (N12), p.95
Gallica BnF 1880s births 1930 deaths 20th-century Russian painters 20th-century French painters Soviet emigrants to France 20th-century Russian male artists Russian avant-garde Jewish Russian artists Russian Futurist painters Russian male painters French male painters French people of Russian-Jewish descent Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture alumni Mir iskusstva artists {{Russia-artist-stub