Ivanov, Sergey Pavlovich

It is believed that the father of the artist is the illegitimate son of the poet A. A. Fet and that he was only brought up by the merchant P. A. Ivanov. The Ivanov family, engaged in the confectionery trade, was not alien to art, and therefore, when Sergey, from an early age, showed outstanding drawing abilities, he decided to become an artist at twelve years old, his parents did not hinder him, but, on the contrary, allowed him to attend classes at the Moscow School of Painting , sculpture and architecture.

Ivanov also studied at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of St. Petersburg University, taking pleasure in attending lectures and laboratory classes of Professor Schmidt on anatomy. Subsequently, this knowledge will be very useful in his artistic activities.

As a young man, he meets Europe for the first time, traveling to Switzerland and Norway. But the peaceful life is disturbed by the First World War; Ivanov went to the front and served in artillery for four long years. After demobilization in 1917, he entered the Academy of Arts, in the class of V. I. Kozlinsky, where he improved his writing style under the beneficial influence of O. E. Braz , academician, custodian and expert of the Hermitage. In 1920, Ivanov transferred to the picturesque class of D. N. Kardovsky and in 1922 completed his studies at the Academy of Arts, receiving the title of artist-painter (this was the first post-revolutionary graduation of the Academy). In the summer of the same year, he toured the rural areas of the Volga region and in a series of drawings depicts the horrors of devastation and famine. Later this series will be published in Paris under the name “Famine in Bolshevik Russia” (“La famine en Russie bolcheviste”, 1924).

In the winter of 1922, Ivanov walked to Finland on foot. I. Ye. Repin friendly accepts him at his dacha. Finally, in transit through England, the artist gets to Paris, where his wife and two children have been living for two years now.

At the beginning of his foreign career, Ivanov works for advertising, paints scenery, sketches of costumes. He writes portraits, “nude”, even frank erotica, deals with book illustration.

In 1925, for the book Barbe d'Orevilla "Devils" ("Les Diaboliques") performs etchings in the tradition of erotic illustration of symbolism. Gradually, fame comes to him, he successfully exhibited at the salons: "Tuileries", "Autumn", "National Society of Fine Arts." In 1930, he became an employee of the magazine “Illustration”, thanks to which he travels a lot (Italy, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Brazil) and returns from trips, as a rule, with drawn reports. In parallel with the main work, he performs drawings for the magazine Plaisir de France and for high fashion houses Moline, Schiaparelli , Paken .

The artist wrote a series of paintings dedicated to the Drouot mansion and the cathedrals of France; in a series of drawings depicted the Paris period of the occupation - in 1988 a significant part of these drawings was acquired by the Carnavale Museum; performed portraits of many famous people, including Pope Pius XI , A. Benoit ,

Vyach. Ivanov , B. Zaitsev , N. Goncharova , S. Lifar , Grand Duke Vladimir Romanov, Eleonora Roosevelt .

In 1942, he joined the Association of Independent Artists and participates in exhibitions at the Salon of Independent. His solo exhibitions are also held in the Paris galleries "De la Chaussee d'Antin" (1942), "Borghe`se" (1945), at the Chartres Museum of Fine Arts (1943), in Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires (both - 1947).

In 1946, Ivanova invited the Royal Copenhagen Opera House to create sets and costumes for the ballet The Golden Calf.

Four years later, the artist moved to the United States, where he received the title of honorary citizen. A new stage in his work begins: during his trips across the entire North American continent, Ivanov performs many portraits of famous citizens, which finally fixes the glory of the portrait painter. He visits Brazil again and is in Argentina for the first time. In the second half of the 1960s. Ivanov returned to Paris, in his workshop, located in the house number 80 on the street Tebu. His work is increasingly intimate, but the artist’s personal exhibitions are still often held. In 1966, Ivanov was awarded the gold medal for the painting "Threats", the award is presented by the French Minister of Culture A. Malraux .

Sergey Ivanov died at the age of eighty-nine in Paris. The artist's works are kept in many museums around the world, including the State Hermitage Museum and the State Russian Museum .

• Ivanov, S. La famine en Russie bolcheviste / avec vingt-huit dessins dans le texte et trois hors texte de l'auteur. - Paris: Nouvelle librairie nationale, 1924.
• Barbey d'Aurevilly, J. Les Diaboliques / les six premières illustrées de dix-neuf eaux-fortes de Serge Ivanoff et d'ornaments typographies de André Hofer. - Paris: Simon Kra, 1925.
• Baudelaire, Ch. Petits poèmes en prose / illustrations de Serge Ivanoff. - Paris: Javal et Bourdeaux, 1933.
• Bunin, I. L'Affair du cornette Elaguine: Nouvelle / traduction de Wladimir Lazarevski et de Charles Ledré; сompositions de Serge Ivanoff. - Paris: l'Illustration, [1934].
• Crébillon fi ls. Le hasard du coin du feu: Dialogue moral / illustré d'aquarelles originales par Serge Ivanoff. - [Paris: l'Emblème du secrétaire], 1936.
• Slobodskoï, S. La conquête du Pôle nord: Nouvelle / adapt. française de Georges Oudard ...; ill. de Serge Ivanoff. - Paris: l'Illustration, 1937.
• Berteval, W. Sh. Théâtre. Tome premier. [La Statue de sel. Journée d'insecte. Jacob. La Grande attente. Le Chat botté. Tubalcaïn] / hors-texte de Serge Ivanoff; préface de Valentin Bresle. - Paris: Mercure universel, 1937.
• Verne, J. Michel Strogoff / illustrations de Serge Ivanoff. - Courbevoie: M. Gonon, 1962.