Abraham Mintchine
Abraham Mintchine (4 April 1898 – 25 April 1931) was one of the major painters associated with the artists' environment known as School of Paris. A Jewish painter, born in Kyiv, he immigrated to Paris in 1925. His known artwork was produced mostly while in Paris and la Garde, between 1926 and 1931.
Also recorded as Abraham Mintchin · Abram Minchin · Abraham Mincin · Abraham Mintschin
Abraham Mintchine
Abraham Mintchine (1898-1931) · Public domain
- Name
- Abraham Mintchine
- Movement
- École de Paris
- Born
- 4 April 1898
- Birthplace
- Kyiv, Russian Empire
- Died
- 25 April 1931
- Place of death
- La Garde, Var, France
- Education
- Kyiv Art College
- Known for
- Pierrot and Harlequin as subjects in paintings
- Nationality
- Russian Empire · France
- Occupation
- painter
- Languages
- French
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Documentary summary
Abraham Mintchine (4 April 1898 – 25 April 1931) was one of the major painters associated with the artists' environment known as School of Paris. A Jewish painter, born in Kyiv, he immigrated to Paris in 1925. His known artwork was produced mostly while in Paris and la Garde, between 1926 and 1931.
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Note VALÉORINE
Abraham Mintchine (1898–1931) was a French and Russian painter. Born in Kyiv, the painter died in La Garde.
Languages used include French. Works by Abraham Mintchine are held at Leicester Museum & Art Gallery, National Gallery and Tate.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q1975656 · wikipedia · Abraham Mintchine
In this article
Biography
Biography
He is famous for vibrant paintings where mysticism is also often present. His work can be related to expressionism, although as highlighted by Giovanni Testori, these categories which are convenient in art history are often too narrow to characterize painters like Mintchine.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Abraham Mintchine • Style — Expressionism, Cubism • Movement — École de Paris • Born — 4 April 1898 • Birthplace — Kyiv, Russian Empire • Died — 25 April 1931 • Place of death — La Garde, Var, France • Education — Kyiv Art College • Patrons — René Gimpel • Known for — Pierrot and Harlequin as subjects in paintings
Early life
Early life
• Illustration — Fille de Louise Manteau (oil on canvas, 92x73cm) displays the intensity of Mintchine's artwork. Mintchine was born in Kyiv where at age 13 he was an apprentice to a goldsmith. He began painting from the age of 16 and studied at the Kyiv Art School (together with Josyf Weissblatt, Olexandr Tyshler) and at Olexandra Exter. Later he left Ukraine for Berlin in 1923. In Berlin he designed sets and costumes for the Jewish theatre. At the time of his first exhibition in Berlin he displayed artwork in a style close to Cubism (only one painting from this period is known).
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1898
Abraham Mintchine was born on 4 April 1898.
1931
Abraham Mintchine died on 25 April 1931.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Kyiv.
Birth place
La Garde.
Death place
School of Paris
Mintchine's most prolific and self-defining period started when he arrived in Paris around 1925. There he developed an exalted style, through dense and vibrant compositions. Mintchine's life was not easy. In extreme poverty and married with a child, he nonetheless succeeded to develop a characteristic style. Mintchine often integrated mysticism in his compositions (often representations of angels or angelic elements such as wings). In 1929, the art dealer René Gimpel identified Mintchine as a "genius" painter and start buying all his paintings. About Mintchine's condition, he wrote in his journal: "he barely managed to scrape a 100 sous to live on; he wouldn't eat, and, dying of hunger would say to his wife: 'Eat, Mintchine isn't hungry'." • Illustration — In Pierrot (oil, 92x60cm), mystical elements can be observed. Mintchine's art reflects an exceptional intensity. His artwork is less tormented than Soutine's, conveying passion through great poetry (often with the addition of mystical elements). Mintchine's life was short but very prolific. Suffering from tuberculosis, he died at only 33 of a brain aneurysm (or possibly heart attack) while painting The Hill with Red Flowers. • Illustration — Portrait of the Artist as a Harlequin (Tate Gallery): Pierrot and Harlequin are iconic subjects in Mintchine's paintings.
Memory and legacy
Due to his death at a young age his artwork is generally rarer than others from the same period. More recently, several signed counterfeits have emerged. However, many of his artworks have been published by Massimo Di Veroli who continues to authenticate it. Abraham Mintchine’s artwork is present in collections of major Museums and galleries, including Tate. In 2022 the Mintchine Society was launched. The association has for role to protect and promote Abraham Mintchine’s artwork. It published a new website which contains an up-to date catalogue raisonné and a variety of documents about Abraham Mintchine. The platform also offers a unique point of contact for collectionneurs and curators all over the world.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Abraham Mintchine”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1975656: Abraham Mintchine
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Roditi, Eduard. The School of Paris. European Judaism: A Journal for the New Europe. Berghahn Books. 3. 2. 13–20. 1968. 0014-3006.
- 2.Mintchine Chagall Soutine, Peinture Montparnasse. mintchine.com.
- 3.Di Veroli, Massimo. Abraham Mintchine : 1898-1931. GMA. December 2021. 922622607.
- 4.Gimpel, René. Diary of an Art Dealer. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 348–350, 361–362, 365–368, 373, 379–389, 392–393, 403, 409–410, 414–416. 1966. 560008815.
- 5.Di Veroli, Massimo. Abraham Mintchine : 1898-1931 (tome 3). Galerie Di Veroli editions. December 2021. 922622607 page needed.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Identity and origins. The authorities additionally record the headings Abraham Mintchin, Abram Minchin, Abraham Mincin, Abraham Mintschin and Abram Minshchin. His recorded language was French.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Paintings
19,183 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Abraham Lambertsz van den TempelArtist
- Abraham LatombeArtist
- Abraham MatthijsArtist
- Abraham MignonArtist
- Abraham NeumannArtist
- Abraham P. HankinsArtist
- Abraham PalatnikArtist
- Abraham RattnerArtist
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