Pinchus Kremegne

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Pinchus Kremegne (1890-1981), was a Belarusian artist, primarily known as a sculptor, painter and lithographer. He is considered one of the great names of contemporary painting.

He was a native of Zhaludak near Lida, and was a friend of both Chaim Soutine and Michel Kikoine. He studied sculpture at the Vilnius School of Drawing. He became a target of the pogroms because he was a Jew and fled to Paris in 1912. In Paris, Kremegne joined the group of painters of following Montparnasse and soon became one of the respected residents of La Ruche. In 1915, he gave up sculpture in order to dedicate himself to painting. It was he who encouraged Soutine to come to Paris. He left Paris to live in a small town in the Pyrenees called Ceret. This village, which is a little inland from Collioure, attracted other painters such as Soutine. Although Soutine did not like the town very much, he completed astounding paintings here over a couple of years. He never settled but his compatriot Kremegne had a house built here around 1960. This small unassuming house, a reflection of the man himself, is nestled into the mountain and it overlooks the pretty village. There was a falling out between the two men perhaps stemming from some ingratitude shown by Soutine towards a mutual 'mecene' or benefactor who had helped out the two impoverished artists during their early careers in Paris. Kremegne's house now has new occupants and it is called the Belvedere. Later Ceret was to attract other painters such as Picasso. The Picasso walk meanders by Kremegne's house and Ceret has an important museum exhibiting artists such as Matisse, Picasso etc. There are a few Kremegne paintings on exhibition here also. A somewhat underestimated artist today, overshadowed by Soutine and Chagall, Paris put on a posthumous one-man show in the Quartier Les Halles in the 90's. A more structured vision of nature than Soutine's, Kremegne's last paintings prefigure the work of painters such as Kossof and Auerbach in England.