Selected dates:

August 11, 1884

Born in the village of Vysokoye (Russian Empire, now Klimovichi district of the Mogilev region of the Republic of Belarus) in the family of a Jewish shopkeeper.

1898—1900

He studied at the art school of academician Ivan Trutnev in Vilna.

1900—1902

He studied at the Odessa Art School.

1902

He went to Munich to study at Anton Aschbe's school, but soon became disillusioned with it.

1903

He moved to Paris, where he lived in a commune with five comrades.

1904—1906

He attended the Julian Academy and higher courses in social sciences at the Sorbonne.

1905—1907

Was an inhabitant of the "Hive".

1907

For the first time he participated in the exhibition of the "Autumn Salon", where he presented a large painting "The Beggar".

Returning to Munich in 1907, he drew illustrations and cartoons for the magazine Jugend (a total of 40 illustrations were published).

1911-1912

Along with Alfred Kubin, Paul Klee and others, he was a member of the Munich group Sema.

1912

He completed a number of sketches of wall paintings on the theme “Labor” for the Szczecin Museum (Poland).

Since 1913

Member of the Münchener neue Secession group.

1913-1933

He actively participated in art exhibitions in Germany, Switzerland, France and Holland.

1914

During the First World War he was interned near Munich.

1917

His second solo exhibition was held at the Thanhauser Gallery.

1918

Moved to Berlin.

1929

Moved from Berlin to Paris.

1936

The artist’s latest solo exhibition took place in New York at the Lilienfeld Gallery.

1936

Moved to Moscow. He worked on frescoes for the All-Russian Agricultural Exhibition (in 1938, the purpose of the pavilion was changed, and the fresco was covered over) and the Palace of the Soviets.

August 1941

While on duty on the roof, he was shell-shocked by a high-explosive bomb. A few days later he committed suicide.