Paul Ackerman Biography
Paul Ackerman, born September 17, 1908 in Iași (Romania) and died in Paris on March 13, 1981, is a Romanian painter, lithographer, sculptor and theater designer naturalized French. Living in France since 1912, he is associated with the School of Paris.
At the age of four, Paul Ackerman, whose father was a company director and a great art lover, emigrated with his family to Paris to escape anti-Semitism in Romania. They settled in a large villa facing the Bois de Vincennes. After secondary studies at the Lycée Charlemagne and the École Alsacienne, Ackerman began studying law and literature at the Sorbonne in 1925, but quickly discovered his true vocation in art by assiduously visiting the Louvre Museum.
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In 1933, Paul Ackerman married Simone Laverrière, originally from Royan. In 1936, in his studio at 100, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, he produced projects for Elsa Schiaparelli and Marcel Rochas, while also frequenting Fernand Léger's studio. During the Second World War, he was mobilized, taken prisoner, then released and joined his wife in Vichy. Expelled as a Jew, he took refuge in Saint-Tropez and lived in modest conditions while forging bonds of friendship with Pierre Bonnard. From 1942 to 1945, he devoted himself to painting landscapes, nudes, still lifes and self-portraits in the south of France. After the Liberation, he returned to Paris, found his studio again and frequented artists such as Jean-Michel Atlan, Jean Dubuffet, Serge Poliakoff, and Alexandre Garbell. In 1947, he exhibited at Raymond Creuze and won the Pacquement prize in 1950.
Paul Ackerman's work is distinguished by its versatility and mutations. Although he has explored different styles, his work is marked by a constant search for metaphysical and symbolic meaning. In the 1950s, his work, with its formal abstract style, reveals a concrete inspiration. He then returned to figuration with great cycles such as Rembrandt, Vivaldi, and Dickens. His interest in esotericism, influenced by authors such as René Guénon, is manifested in works such as *L'Agartha* (1965), exploring cosmogonic and symbolic themes.
Paul Ackerman expresses in his handwritten notes a reflection on the durability of his work, wondering whether time will recognize its value or erase his work. He died in 1981 and is buried in the Parisian cemetery of Bagneux (4th division). His work, rich in stylistic diversity, continues to arouse interest for its symbolic depth and its constant search for meaning.
