Philippe Hosiasson (1898–1978) was a Ukrainian-born French painter known for his significant contributions to abstract art and the School of Paris. Born in Odessa into a family of merchants, Hosiasson had close family ties to Nobel Prize-winning writer Boris Pasternak. A formative trip to Berlin between 1910 and 1912 introduced him to avant-garde Western art, which deeply influenced his future practice. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Odessa and, in 1920, moved to Rome, where he was captivated by the city’s classical beauty and began sketching prolifically. There, he met André Derain and became fascinated with modern dance, later designing sets for the Ballets Russes in Berlin.
By 1924, Hosiasson had settled in Paris and became a French citizen in 1928. He joined the Neo-Humanist group led by Waldemar George, embracing figurative painting alongside artists like Léon Zack. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, he participated in major artistic projects, including the decoration of the Martinique Pavilion at the 1937 Paris World’s Fair and illustrating Aragon’s Le Crève-Coeur.
After serving in the French army and being wounded near Dunkirk during World War II, Hosiasson returned to Paris in 1948. Around this time, he shifted towards abstraction. His bold, gestural compositions drew praise from critics like Michel Tapié and Michel Seuphor, and even caught the attention of American critic Clement Greenberg. Hosiasson’s work was shown alongside Rothko, Newman, and Noland in New York.
He exhibited at major international venues, including the Venice Biennale (1930, 1964) and the São Paulo Biennial (1955). His work is housed in numerous prestigious institutions such as MoMA (New York), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Mumok (Vienna), and Moderna Museet (Stockholm).
