LANCERAY Evgeny Evgenievich

August 23, 1875 (Pavlovsk, near St. Petersburg) — September 13, 1946 (Moscow)

Painter, graphic artist, scene-designer, master of decorative and applied arts

Lanceray was born to a family of artists; he was a son of the sculptor E. A. Lanceray, grandson of N. K. Benois, nephew A. N., Alb. N. and L. N. Benois, brother of Z. E. Serebryakova and N. E. Lanceray. After early death of his father, Lanceray was brought up in the house of L. N. Benois. Lanceray got his first art education at home. In 1890s he was a member of the A. N. Benois’s circle of self-education. In 1892–1895 Lanceray studied at the Drawing school under the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts under Y. F. Tsionglinsky, E. K. Lipgart, and N. A. Gogolinsky.

In 1895 Lanceray moved to Paris, where he continued his education at the Academy F. Colarossi, at the Academy of R. Julian, and at the private studios of J.-P. Laurens and J.-J. Benjamin-Constant. At the same time Lanceray studied history of art and anatomy at the School of Fine Arts in Paris. In 1898 he returned to Russia. In 1890s — mid 1900s Lanceray often visited Europe. In 1902–1903 he made a trip to Siberia, Manchuria and Japan; in 1904 he visited the Caucasus.

In 1900 Lanceray became an active member of the group Mir Iskusstva (“World of Art”); he participated in the exhibitions of the group.

Lanceray worked a lot in the field of magazine and book graphic art. Since 1899 he designed the magazine Mir Iskusstva (“World of Art”). Since 1901 he collaborated with the magazine Khudozhestvennye Sokrovishcha Rossii (“Art Treasures of Russia”), in 1905–1906 — with the magazines Zritel (“Spectator”), Zhupel (“Bugbear”), Adskaya Pochta (“Hellish Mail”); in 1906–1909 Lanceray designed the magazine Zolotoye Runo (“Golden Fleece”) and others.

In 1912–1914 Lanceray drew illustrations to the novel Hadji Murad by Leo Tolstoy; he made a trip to Dagestan and Chechnya in order to gather material for illustrations.

In 1903 Lanceray became a member of the Union of Russian Artists (SRKh), took part in exhibitions of the Union till 1910. In 1906–1907 Lanceray’s works were exposed at the exhibition of Russian art, organized by S. P. Dyagilev in Paris and in Berlin. In 1910 Lanceray was one of the initiators of reuniting of the group Mir Iskusstva (“World of Art”); since 1913 Lanceray was a chairman of the Committee of the association.

In 1907–1911 Lanceray drew scene and costume designs for the performances of the Starinniy Teatr (“Old Theatre”) in St. Petersburg: The Purgatory of St. Patrick by P. Calderon (1911) and others.

In 1907–1908 Lanceray took part in design of architectural park ensemble of the Y. E. Zhukovsky’s estate in Kuchuk–Koy in the Crimea. In 1910–1912 he worked on the design of the G. A. Tarasov’s estate, in 1911 — the estate of V. V. and E. N. Nosov in Moscow.

In early 1910s Lanceray lectured at the E. S. Zarudnaya-Kavos School of painting and drawing; in 1915–1916 — at the New Art workshop in St. Petersburg.

In 1912–1915 Lanceray headed art department of lapidary factories in Peterhof and in Ekaterinburg, art department of the Imperial glass and porcelain factories in St. Petersburg. In 1912 Lanceray was elected academician, in 1915 — member of the council of the Imperial Academy of Arts (IAKh).

In 1915 the first personal exhibition of Lanceray (together with M. V. Dobuzhinsky) was held in Petrograd. In 1914–1915 the painter was sent as a war correspondent to the Caucasian front. In 1916–1917 Lanceray created a series of pictures under the order of A. V. Shchusev for Kazan railway station. In 1916–1917 Lanceray lived in his estate Ust-Krestishchi.

After October revolution, Lanceray lived in Dagestani aul Temir-Khan-Shura. In 1920 he moved to Tbilisi. In 1920–1922 Lanceray worked at Tbilisi Ethnographic Museum. In the summer of 1922 he made a trip to Angora (Ankara), drew a series of watercolors and drawings there; later they were exposed at his personal exhibition in Moscow and Petrograd. Lanceray worked on the album of color autolithogrphs Journey to Angora (not published; some of these autolithographs were enclosed in the diary of artist’s journeys The Summer in Angora, published in 1925 in Petrograd). Since 1922 Lanceray lectured at Tbilisi Academy of Art; in 1926 he was appointed dean of the faculty of painting. In 1920s–1930s he worked as a monumental artist. In 1933 Lanceray was conferred the title of Honored Art Worker of Georgian Soviet Socialistic Republic.

In 1923 Lanceray exposed his works at the exhibition of the Association of the artists of Revolutionary Russia (AKhRR), in 1924–1925 — at the exhibition of Russian art in New York, in 1927 — at the exhibition Engraving of the USSR for 10 years in Moscow (the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts), at the last exhibition of the group Mir Iskusstva in the gallery Bernheim in Paris and many others. Personal exhibitions of Lanceray were organized in Erevan (1926), Baku and Tiflis (1927), in Moscow (1936).

Since 1934 Lanceray lived in Moscow, headed department of graphical disciplines at Moscow Archtectural Institute and taught at the workshop of monumental painting in the All-Russia Academy of Art. In 1945 Lanceray was conferred the title of the People’s Artist of RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic).

Retrospective exhibition of Lanceray’s works were held in Kazan (1947), Tbilisi (1956), Moscow (1961), and Leningrad (1975).

Evgeny Lanceray was one of the leading artists of the beginning of the 20th century. He became famous as a master of applied graphic art: book and magazine illustration, ex-libris. Lanceray created his own recognizable style, which was characterized by expressiveness of lines and refinement of composition. In his paintings Lanceray successfully combined modern style, symbolism and retrospectivism (art of memory). The flowering period in creative life of the artist was in 1900s–1910s; it was connected with Lanceray’s activity in the group Mir Iskusstva.

Works by Evgeny Lanceray are in many museum and private collections, including the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum and the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.