Constantine Kluge Oil on Canvas, Paris City Scene, 1955

Constantin Kluge was a Russian-born French painter best known for his naturalistic scenes of Paris and French countryside in a style reminiscent of Albert Marquet. 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 the French Salons. He was a success both artistically and financially. Of his many awards, he received the Gold Medal, Salon des Artistes Francais and was made Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur by the French Government. He died on January 9, 2003 in Paris, France.