(b St Petersburg, 4 [16] Nov. 1899; d Rome, 14 Dec. 1972). Russian-born painter and stage designer who became an American citizen in 1937. In 1918 he fled the Russian Revolution and settled in Paris. There he became friendly with Pavel Tchelitchew (another Russian émigré) and a group of painters who became known as ‘Neo-Romantics’, painting dreamlike scenes with mournful, drooping figures. In 1935 he emigrated to New York, where he worked mainly as a designer for ballet and opera, in which field he was considered one of the outstanding artists of his day.
Text source: The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford University Press)
