ANTCHER Isaak Israilevich

January 21, 1899 (Peresechino, Bessarabia) — April 21, 1990 (Malakoff, environs of Paris)

Painter

There is fragmentary information about childhood of Isaak Antcher. It is known that in 1920 Antcher left Russia for Lille in France, where his brother was living at that time. In 1921 he moved to Palestine and lived in Jerusalem till 1924. There he studied at school of arts Bezalel.

When he returned to Paris, he earned his livelihood and studies in different ways: he worked as a house painter, floor polisher, worker of Renault factory; he also gave Hebrew and French lessons. At the same time he studied at different art studios, but he did not belong to Paris School (to artists from La Ruche).

Under the guidance of professor Casteluccio, he took examination in the National School of Fine Arts, but he could not enter. Then he studied at drawing class in studio of sculptor Henry Arnaud, art studio of V. I. Shuchaev and A. E. Yakovlev.

In 1939 he joined the French Army as volunteer, but was demobilized soon. In 1943 he with his family left France for Switzerland. When the war was ended he moved to Paris again.

Antcher painted a lot. Since 1940 his personal exhibitions were held in Europe: from 1940 till 1942 in Montpellier, then in Paris (1946, 1948), Brussel (1948), Berne (1951), Strasbourg (1953), Tel Aviv and Jerusalem (1956), and then again in Paris (1950, 1951, 1954, 1962 and 1968).

The retrospective exhibition of painter was held in K. Granoff Gallery in 1990.

Paintings by Isaak Antcher are in the museums of France, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and also in private collections.