Michel Adlen
Michel Adlen (born 15 May 1898 – 21 January 1980) was a painter and printmaker of Ukrainian-Jewish origin who built his career in France. He is associated with the École de Paris.
Michel Adlen
- Name
- Michel Adlen
- Birth Name
- Michel Adler
- Born
- 15 May 1898
- Birthplace
- Lutsk or Saky, Russian Empire
- Died
- 21 January 1980
- Place of death
- 10th arrondissement of Paris, France
- Known for
- Painting, printmaking
- Movement
- École de Paris
- Spouse
- Jeanne (1902–1997)
- Full name
- Michel Adler.
- Nationality
- Russian Empire.
- Occupation
- painter, printmaker and artist.
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Documentary summary
Michel Adlen (born 15 May 1898 – 21 January 1980) was a painter and printmaker of Ukrainian-Jewish origin who built his career in France. He is associated with the École de Paris.
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wikidata · Q3308830 · wikipedia · Michel Adlen
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Michel Adlen • Birth Name — Michel Adler • Born — 15 May 1898 • Birthplace — Lutsk or Saky, Russian Empire • Died — 21 January 1980 • Place of death — 10th arrondissement of Paris, France • Known for — Painting, printmaking • Movement — École de Paris • Spouse — Jeanne (1902–1997)
Early life and training
Early life and training
Adlen was born in the Russian Empire, in either Lutsk or Saky — sources differ on the location. Between 1915 and 1922, he studied painting in Vienna, where he had his first public exhibitions and contributed to the satirical illustrated magazine Die Muskete.
Berlin and arrival in Paris
Berlin and arrival in Paris
In 1923, Adlen moved to Berlin, where he participated in multiple graphic arts exhibitions. That same year, he settled in Paris, which would remain the centre of his artistic life. He underwent a brief Cubist and Fauvist period around 1925 before turning toward a different direction. In Paris, Adlen founded the Jewish Painters and Sculptors Association and joined several artists' organisations, including the Union of Russian Artists in Paris, La Satire, and Les Imagiers. He obtained French nationality in 1929.
Death
Death
Michel Adlen died on 21 January 1980 in the 10th arrondissement of Paris.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1898
Michel Adlen was born on 1 January 1899.
1980
Michel Adlen died at 10ᵗʰ arrondissement of Paris.
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.
Lutsk.
Birth place
10ᵗʰ arrondissement of Paris.
Death place
Illustration and printmaking
From 1929 to 1939, Adlen worked as an illustrator for several major Parisian magazines and received numerous commissions. Alongside his paintings, he produced a substantial body of graphic work, including lithographs, coloured prints, etchings, and drawings. In 1936, he participated in the International Exhibition of Wood Engraving in Warsaw.
Style and influences
After his Cubist period, Adlen adopted the tradition of French landscape painting in the lineage of Corot and Pissarro, with some works recalling Cézanne. As a member of the École de Paris, he produced landscapes, portraits of women, urban scenes, and still lifes — often featuring wild flowers and fruit — characterised by a melancholic mood arising from the predominance of grey tones. His wife Jeanne, originally from Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche in the Haute-Vienne, introduced him to the landscapes of the Limousin region. He subsequently divided his time between his Paris studio and extended stays in the Limousin and the region of Nice.
Collections
Collections
Adlen's works entered public collections from as early as 1928, when the museums of Moscow and Kyiv acquired his prints. His work is also held by the Musée National des Arts et Traditions Populaires in Paris.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q3308830: Michel Adlen
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “Michel Adlen”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
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.Nieszawer, Nadine & Princ, Marek. Histoires des artistes Juifs de l'École de Paris, 1905–1939. Paris: Denoël, 2000; Somogy, 2015; Les Étoiles Éditions, 2022. pp. 50–51. .
- 2.Lilac Gallery, New York. "Michel Adlen." lilacgallerynyc.com.
- 3.Aucties. "Rating and value of works, drawings, paintings by Michel Adlen." aucties.com.
- 4.Archives en ligne de Paris, 10e arrondissement, year 1980, death certificate no. 145, cote 10D 611, vue 16/31.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority record
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
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.
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