Olga Sacharoff

Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, then part of the Russian Empire, Sacharoff received a traditional academic training at the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts but was quickly drawn to the expressive and abstract movements sweeping through Europe in the early 20th century.

After finishing her formal training, Sacharoff travelled to Rome and Munich, eventually settling in Paris around 1912. There, she absorbed the radical energy of the Cubist and Dada movements, becoming associated with leading figures of the Parisian avant-garde, and began experimenting with form and colour which developed into her own unique visual language of synthetique Cubism. In Paris, she frequently contributed to solo and group exhibitions including several of the annual Salon d’Automne exhibitions.

With the outbreak of World War I, Sacharoff moved to the vibrant artistic climate in Barcelona and began contributing to the influential Dadaist magazine 391 and her work began to evolve into a more playful and stylised mode focused on narrative and reminiscent of folk art. Though she was based in Barcelona for the remainder of her life, she continued to exhibit her work in the annual Paris shows, including the Salon d’Automne, the Salon des Tuileries and the Société des Artistes Indépendants.

Often populated with whimsical figures and rich decorative patterns, her art resonated in both French and Spanish circles. Depressed by the breakup of her marriage, Sacharoff stopped painting from 1929 but resurfaced in 1934 with an exhibit at Barcelona’s Laietanes Gallery followed by an exhibition with her ex-husband in New York in 1939.

Sacharoff spent her final two decades based in Barcelona where she remained a respected member of the cultural community and she exhibited frequently in solo and group shows throughout both France and Spain. In 1964, three years before her death, she was awarded the Medalla d’Or de Barcelona for her contribution to the arts which cemented her connection to Spain and commemorated her contribution to Catalan culture.