Kisling, Moïse (1891-1953) - Jean Cocteau in His Studio 1916

Portrait of Jean Cocteau by Polish-French artist, Moïse Kisling.

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Moïse Kisling (1891-1953) was a Polish-born French painter. Born in Kraków, then part of Austria-Hungary, to Jewish parents, Kisling studied at the Academy of Fine Arts. He left for Paris in 1910 at the age of 19. After moving to Montmartre, Kisling became a member of the Parisian avant-garde known also as the School of Paris, and developed close professional relationships with painters Amedeo Modigliani, Jules Pascin and other Montparnasse artists. Kisling gained recognition for portraying the female form and completed numerous nudes and portraits during his career.

At the outbreak of World War I, he volunteered for service in the French Foreign Legion. He was seriously wounded in 1916 in the Battle of the Somme. He married Renée Kisling (née Gros) in 1916, and together they had two sons, Jean (1922) and Guy Kisling (1922). He acquired French nationality by naturalisation in 1924.

He became a French national in 1924, after serving and being wounded with the French Foreign Legion in World War I. In 1940, despite being 49, Kisling rejoined the army for World War II but moved to the United States following the French Army's surrender and the impending threat to Jews in occupied France. In the U.S., he exhibited his works in New York City and Washington and settled in Southern California. After World War II and the defeat of Nazi Germany, Kisling returned to France.

He lived his later years continuing his artwork until his death in 1953, after a brief illness.