Constantine Kluge

On the bank of Seine, 1940. Oil on canvas, 54, 5 x 73 cm

1940

Constantin Kluge was a Russian-born French painter best known for his naturalistic scenes of Paris and French countryside. Kluge was born to a wealthy military family on January 29, 1912 in Riga, Latvia, which was then a large, industrial Russian port city. He spent much of his childhood and young adult life between Manchuria, Beijing, and Hong Kong, where he discovered a love for brush and ink painting. Kluge studied architecture at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris and earned his diploma in 1937. Upon graduating, he painted the city’s river banks and streets before returning to Shanghai. With the rise of Communism in China, the artist fled to Paris in 1950 and began exhibiting in French Salons. In the 1960s, Kluge's work caught the eye of American art dealer Wally Findlay, of Wally Findlay Galleries. Findlay began to represent Kluge, bringing his Parisian paintings to America and showing them in his galleries in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Kluge continued to achieve great success in his artistic career, receiving several awards and honors, and showing his works across Europe and America. He died on January 9, 2003 in Paris, France. Kluge’s works are in the collections of the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris, among others. Major exhibitions: 1951 - Salon de Paris 1961 - Salon des Artistes Francais 1961 - Wally Findlay Galleries: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles 1962 - Salon des Artistes Francais 1992 - Musée Antoine Vivenel, Compiègne, France Awards: 1961 - Silver Medal, Salon des Artistes Francais 1961 - Salon des Artistes Francais, Taylor Foundation's Raymond Perreau Prize 1962 - Gold Medal, Salon des Artistes Francais 1990 - Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur