Pierre Grimm (French-Ukrainian, 1898-1979)

Pierre Grimm was a French-Ukrainian painter, designer, and photographer. His childhood years he spent in his family’s estate in Ukraine. In 1914 he entered the Academy of Fine Arts in St Petersburg but did not last long in the capital. A few months later Grimm had to flee, having plotted against the tsarist regime and now on the radar of the secret police. Pierre Grimm embarks on an expedition through Central Asia, all the while developing his skills as a designer and photographer.

In 1920 Pierre Grimm leaves Russia behind and travels to Zagreb, Constantinople, Vienna, and Berlin, finally, the painter settles in Paris in 1923. His first years in Paris were difficult, but from 1929 he begins to participate in group shows, and regularly exhibits at Salon d’Automne.

At Pierre Grimm’s first solo exhibition in Paris in 1938, he meets Pierre Bonnard, whom he cherishes as a friend and acknowledges his effect on his artistic development. The artist also acknowledged the significant impact that his friendship with Pablo Picasso has on his art.