Tchelitchew, Pavel, 1898-1957

Variant names
Dates:
Birth 1898-09-21
Death 1957-07-31
Birth 1898
Death 1957
Russians
Russian, English, French, Russian, German Undetermined, English,

Biographical notes:

Russian-born painter, set designer, and costume designer, Pavel Tchelitchew emigrated in 1920. He lived in Berlin (1921-23) and Paris (1923-34) before moving to New York, where he lived with his partner Charles Henri Ford. He became a United States citizen in 1952 and died in Grottaferrata, Italy in 1957.

Tchelitchew's early painting was abstract in style, described as Constructivist and Futurist and influenced by his study with Aleksandra Ekster in Kiev. After emigrating to Paris he became associated with the Neoromanticism movement. He continuously experimented with new styles, eventually incorporating multiple perspectives and elements of surrealism and fantasy into his painting. As a set and costume designer, he collaborated with Serge Diaghliev and George Balanchine, among others.

In Paris Tchelitchew became acquainted with Gertrude Stein and, through her, the Sitwell and Gorer families. He and Edith Sitwell had a long-standing close friendship and they corresponded frequently.

Among Tchelitchew's well-known paintings are portraits of Natalia Glasko, Edith Sitwell and Gertrude Stein and the works Phenomena (1936-1938) and Cache Cache (1940-1942). He designed sets for Ode (Paris, 1928), L'Errante (Paris, 1933), Nobilissima Visione (London, 1938) and Ondine (Paris, 1939), among other productions.

Alexandra Zaoussailoff was sister of Pavel Tchelitchew; he addressed her as Choura (in Russian: Shura). She was the only other member of Tchelitchew’s immediate family to emigrate from Russia and lived primarily in Paris.

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Subjects:

  • Art, Modern
  • Theater
  • Ballets russes
  • LGBTQ resource
  • Painters
  • Painters
  • Painters
  • Painters
  • Painters, Russian
  • Painting, American
  • Painters
  • Painters
  • Painters

Occupations:

  • Artists
  • Authors
  • Women authors
  • Painter
  • Poets
  • Set designers

Places:

  • 00, RU
  • Soviet Union (as recorded)
  • Russia (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • Russia (Federation) (as recorded)
  • Russia (as recorded)

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