Portrait of Lyubov Ehrenburg
1924
Lyubov Mikhailovna Ehrenburg (née Kozintseva) (1900–1970): Painter, graphic artist, wife of writer Ilya Ehrenburg, sister of film director Grigory Kozintsev. Studied at Alexandra Exter’s private studio in Kiev (1918–19) and under Alexander Rodchenko at the VKhUTEMAS in Moscow. Travelled with husband Ilya Ehrenburg to Berlin (1921), helped to organise Die erste russische Kunstausstellung at the Galerie Van Diemen (1922). Collaborated with El Lissitzky, who published Ilya Ehrenburg’s Vesch/Gegenstand/Object magazine in Berlin (1922). Travelled across Europe (1920s). Her portrait was also painted by Robert Falk, Nathan Altman and Alexander Tyshler.
The close spiritual ties between Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin and Lyubov Ehrenburg are described in a letter from the model to the artist’s widow Maria: “I treasure my memories of Kuzma and am proud that he was a friend of mine.”