{{Infobox artist | name = Michel Adlen | birth_name = Michel Adler | birth_date = {{birth date|1898|5|15}} | birth_place = Lutsk or Saky, Russian Empire | death_date = {{death date and age|1980|1|21|1898|5|15}} | death_place = 10th arrondissement of Paris, France | known_for = Painting, printmaking | movement = École de Paris | spouse = Jeanne (1902–1997) }}
'''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.<ref name="nieszawer">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. {{ISBN|979-8633355567}}.</ref><ref name="lilac">Lilac Gallery, New York. "Michel Adlen." [https://www.lilacgallerynyc.com/michel-adlen lilacgallerynyc.com].</ref>
== Early life and training ==
Adlen was born in the Russian Empire, in either Lutsk or Saky — sources differ on the location.<ref name="nieszawer"/><ref name="lilac"/> 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''.<ref name="lilac"/>
== Career ==
=== Berlin and arrival in Paris ===
In 1923 Adlen moved to Berlin, where he participated in multiple graphic arts exhibitions.<ref name="nieszawer"/><ref name="lilac"/> 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.<ref name="nieszawer"/>
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''.<ref name="lilac"/> He obtained French nationality in 1929.<ref name="aucties">Aucties. "Rating and value of works, drawings, paintings by Michel Adlen." [https://www.aucties.com/en/auction-guide/20th-century-artists/rating-and-value-of-works-drawings-paintings-by-michel-adlen aucties.com].</ref>
=== 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.<ref name="lilac"/> 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.<ref name="lilac"/><ref name="aucties"/>
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.<ref name="nieszawer"/>
=== Illustration and printmaking ===
From 1929 to 1939 Adlen worked as an illustrator for several major Parisian magazines and received numerous commissions.<ref name="lilac"/> Alongside his paintings he produced a substantial body of graphic work, including lithographs, coloured prints, etchings, and drawings.<ref name="lilac"/> In 1936 he participated in the International Exhibition of Wood Engraving in Warsaw.<ref name="nieszawer"/>
== Collections ==
Adlen's works entered public collections from as early as 1928, when the museums of Moscow and Kyiv acquired his prints.<ref name="nieszawer"/><ref name="lilac"/> His work is also held by the Musée National des Arts et Traditions Populaires in Paris.<ref name="lilac"/>
== Death ==
Michel Adlen died on 21 January 1980 in the 10th arrondissement of Paris.<ref>Archives en ligne de Paris, 10e arrondissement, year 1980, death certificate no. 145, cote 10D 611, vue 16/31.</ref>
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* [https://www.lilacgallerynyc.com/michel-adlen Michel Adlen] at Lilac Gallery, New York
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adlen, Michel}} Category:1898 births Category:1980 deaths Category:French painters Category:Jewish painters Category:French printmakers Category:Artists from the Russian Empire Category:People from Lutsk Category:Paris Category:France Category:Ukraine