Boris Grosser French artist Date of Birth: 26.10.1889 Country: Dive

1. Early Life and Education
2. Career in Russia
3. Exile and Later Life
4. Family

Early Life and Education

Albrecht Abraham Grosser, a French artist, was born into the family of Abel Zelmanovich Grosser and Maria Abramovna Polyakova. His uncle was the publisher V. A. Polyakov, and his cousin was the journalist A. A. Polyakov. Around 1910, the Grosser family settled in St. Petersburg.

Grosser initially studied at the Odessa Art School from 1903 to 1907. He then enrolled in the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists in St. Petersburg, where he studied under Ivan Bilibin. In 1911-1912, he continued his education at the Drawing School of Simon Hollósy in Munich. Finally, he attended the atelier of Maurice Denis at the Académie Ranson in Paris from 1913 to 1914.

Career in Russia

Upon his return to St. Petersburg in 1914, Grosser worked as a stage designer at the Theater of Musical Drama. From 1918, he resided in Odessa, where he designed for the Sevastyanov theater troupe and illustrated books for various publishers. He also contributed to the newspaper "Teatr" and participated in several exhibitions.

Exile and Later Life

After the establishment of Soviet power in Odessa, Grosser fled to Constantinople in 1920. He then moved to Italy in March of the same year and eventually settled in Paris in 1921.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Grosser made a name for himself in the world of book illustration. He collaborated with publishers in France, Germany, and the Netherlands, designing covers and illustrations for works by renowned Russian authors such as Ivan Bunin and Vladimir Nabokov. He was awarded a silver medal for his book graphics at the 1937 Paris International Exposition.

In his later years, Grosser lived in Montrouge, a suburb of Paris, where he remained until his death.

Family

Grosser had a brother, Alexander, who was also involved in publishing and worked as an artist for the Leningrad newspaper "Krasnoe Znamya." A cousin, Leon Polyakov, became a renowned historian. Grosser's grandson, Andrei Filippov, was a respected artist in St. Petersburg.