Paul Ackerman

Paul Ackerman, born in Iași in 1908 and passed away in Paris in 1981, remains an emblematic figure of modern painting. From the age of four, when his family settled in France, his life and work were deeply connected to the Parisian art scene. His education in law and literature was soon replaced by a burning passion for painting, which led him to the studio of master Fernand Léger.

During the war, he painted a series of works influenced by Cézanne and the Russian avant-garde. From 1940, he became friends with Pierre Bonnard, with whom he shared an interest in Japanese art, visible in a series of works with Far Eastern subjects.

He returned to Paris after the war, having been a prisoner, and his art for a while balanced between figurative and abstract. From 1947, he exhibited successfully in Paris, London, Frankfurt, Montreal, and Quebec, receiving the first "Pacquement Prize" in 1950.

The 1950s represent the abstract period of his creation, but always, beyond the abstract image, inspiration from nature shines through. A series of "relief" paintings followed. Towards the end of this decade, his research into the sign, both plastic and symbolic, reached perfection. In the 1960s, he returned to figurative art, as in "Shadows and Lights," with the concern for the symbolic role of light, reminiscent of Rembrandt and Flemish-Dutch painting, becoming a priority.