Biographical elements 1929-1938


1929 : Boris meets Jacqueline Lefevre during holidays at the isle of Oleron french flag
He works in the studio of the master glassmaker Jacques Gruber where he meets his son, Francis Gruber, with whom he develops a friendship.


1929-30 : Boris joins the School of Fine Arts in Lucien Simon's studio.
Within the studio he meets Jean Amblard who becomes his "soul brother". They pay several visits to the Louvre Museum where they produce copies of great masters. It is also in the Studio Simon that he meets Amrita Sher-Gil with whom he will have an adventure in love. Together they often paint their own portraits. However, Amrita decides to marry a cousin.


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THE PAINTER JEAN AMBLARD, 1929, oil on canvas, 21,7 x 15 in
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SHER-GIL Amrita, Portrait of a Young Man (Boris Taslitzky), 1930, oil on canvas, 11,8x 9,5 in
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PORTRAIT OF PAINTER AMRITA SHER-GIL, 1931, oil on canvas, 18,1 x 15 in


1930 : He meets Jacqueline Lefevre (born December 7th 1912).


1932 : Marriage with Jacqueline Lefèvre
PROFILE OF JACKIE, 1936, oil on cardboard, 16,1 x 12,2 in
on March 4th 1932.
Birth of their son Jean-Michel on 19th September 1932.


1932-33 : Boris does his military service in the 5th infantry regiment.


7th December 1934 : Jean-Michel
JEAN-MICHEL, 1934, oil on canvas, 15 x 18,1 in
dies from the consequences of poliomyelitis.
The couple cannot cope with this tragedy and splits up.


1934 : He joins the Association of the Revolutionary Writers and Artists (A.E.A.R.).
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Boris TASLITZKY talks about Aragon, his intellectual and patriotic "father".
Extract of the movie « L'Atelier de Boris » (Boris' studio), © Christophe COGNET, 2004
He meets Louis Aragon,
ARAGON, undated, pencil on paper, 3,3 x 5,5 in
Francis Jourdain,
FRANCIS JOURDAIN AND CARIOLLIS, undated, lead pencil, 4,8 x 4,3 in
Paul Vaillant-Couturier, Pablo Picasso,
PABLO PICASSO, 1953, wash, 7 x 4,9 in
Édouard Pignon,
PORTRAIT OF ÉDOUARD PIGNON WITH THE PIPE, undated, pencil on paper, 7,3 x 5 in
André Fougeron,
PORTRAIT OF ANDRÉ FOUGERON, 1981, pencil, 5,3 x 3,5 in
André Derain, François Desnoyer, Jean Lurçat, Marcel Gromaire, André Lhote, Frans Masereel, Fernand Léger, etc.
Boris also takes parts in several activities (the reception by the artists in Saint-Denis of the hunger marchers from the North, the manifestation of the 6, 9 and 12 February 1934 against fascism).
After being elected one of three secretaries of the A.E.A.R., he takes part to many exhibitions and debates. From May/June 1935, the A.E.A.R. starts disappearing ; instead the Culture House (Maison de la Culture) takes on instead trying to gather all the anti-fascist forces.


March 1935 : He joins the Communist Party.


14 July 1935: The Popular Front Committee commissions…
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Boris TASLITZKY talks about the banners and placards painted for the demonstrations of the Popular Front of 1935-1936.
Extract of the movie « L'Atelier de Boris » (Boris' studio), © Christophe COGNET, 2004
...the artists from the Maison de la Culture to decorate the Place de la Bastille and to paint banners and placards for the manifestation. Unfortunately these panels produced by Lurcat, Léger, Masereel, Taslitzky, etc. have not been preserved.
He then meets with Jacques Lipchitz. Boris becomes his pupil.


1936 : He draws during strikes (at the Renault Factory, at the Samaritaine, at the 'meetings')
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Boris TASLITZKY talks about the exhibition at the Alhambra theatre, on July 14th, 1936.
Extract of the movie « L'Atelier de Boris » (Boris' studio), © Christophe COGNET, 2004
On July 14th, 1936, at the Alhambra theater, the Maison de la Culture organizes a performance of Romain Rolland's play "14 July" and an exhibition of paintings in which Taslitzky took part alongside Picasso,
PABLO PICASSO, 1953, wash, 7 x 4,9 in
Pignon,
PORTRAIT OF'ÉDOUARD PIGNON WITH THE PIPE, undated, pencil on paper, 7,3 x 5 in
Gromaire, Lurçat, Léger, Matisse, Fougeron,
PORTRAIT OF ANDRÉ FOUGERON, 1981, pencil, 5,3 x 3,5 in
Amblard, etc.


25th May – 25th November 1937 : At the universal exposition…
He exhibits next to the Picasso's "Guernica" within the Spanish pavilion "The Telegram", tribute to Federico Garcia Lorca, executed by the fascists.

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THE TELEGRAM, 1936, oil on canvas, 10,6 x 13,8 in
© Museum of Modern Art of the city of Paris


1937 : Boris becomes general secretary at the Maison de la Culture.
He lives in his studio, 3 rue Campagne Premiere in Paris and works as an illustrator for the paper « Ce Soir ».
He meets Suzane Leguet during a manifestation on July 14th.
He then presents his works at the Parisian Gallery Billiet
Invitation to the Gallery BILLIET
Paris, 12th /25th March 1937, with the preface of George Besson
from March 12th to 25th (1937) next to Theodore Fried's, Edmond Kuss', Charles Merangel's, Edouard Pignon's
PORTRAIT OF ÉDOUARD PIGNON WITH THE PIPE, undated, pencil on paper, 7,3 x 5 in
works.