Éric JUSTMAN
CHANA ORLOFF AND HER WORK

View of the interior of sculptor Chana Orloff’s main studio, 7 bis Villa Seurat, in the 14th arrondissement of Paris © Eric Jusman

The artist Chana Orloff

A free and modern woman, Chana Orloff (1888 Ukraine – 1968 Tel Aviv) is one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century. She arrived in Paris in 1910, where she was hired as an apprentice seamstress at the Paquin haute couture house. In 1911, she placed second in the entrance exam for the École des Arts Décoratifs, created her first sculpture (a portrait of her grandmother, based on a photo), and frequented the Académie Marie Vassilief in Montparnasse along with Picasso, Foujita, and Apollinaire, among others. Modigliani became her friend, and she introduced him to Jeanne Hébuterne. Modigliani painted a portrait of Chana Orloff inscribed in Hebrew: Chana, daughter of Raphael. She exhibited at the Salon d’Automne in 1913; her brief marriage to Ary Justman, who fell victim to the Spanish flu in 1919, left her a widow prematurely. From then on, she lived only for art and her young son Elie, born in 1918. A portraitist of all Paris, she received the Legion of Honor and French nationality in 1925 and, the following year, moved to Villa Seurat. A tireless worker, she took refuge in Switzerland in 1941 and upon her return in 1945 discovered the looting of her studio by the Nazis.
She reconnected with Israel, exhibited there, and enjoyed fame until December 1968.

The sculptor in her walls

With its light-filled architecture and a collection of nearly two hundred sculptures, engravings, and drawings, the Chana Orloff Studio-Museum is undeniably a magical place. A natural fit for this avant-garde artist who was one of the major sculptors of the 20th century. Her work remains remarkably modern. The space, both through its architecture and the richness of its collection, which houses an important collection of works (terracotta, wood, cement, bronze, and plaster), reveals the studio of the 1930s and expresses a timeless odyssey. From 1926, when the house was built by Auguste Perret, to 1968, the year of Chana’s death, the artist worked and presented her work in this space enveloped in natural light shaped by transparency.

A work in situ

The works of this self-taught artist—nearly 500 sculptures and 3,000 drawings—shine in France and abroad. They are not limited to portraits, and numerous themes, including that of women, appear as a sensitive leitmotif throughout her career. Chana Orloff’s courage and determination never wavered, and throughout her life, she lived from her art. She knew how to resist and fully embrace freedom despite the tragedies pronounced by History. This sought-after portraitist also loved to represent animals and offer them symbols drawn from the raging reality (the 1939 grasshopper is an eloquent example). Her sculptures extend beyond France and naturally establish themselves in a large number of countries.

Eric Justman, director of the Chana Orloff Studio-Museum, and his sister Ariane Tamir (responsible for preserving publications, archives, and the collection of exhibited sculptures), Chana Orloff’s grandchildren © Sothean Nhieim

The Studios are administered by Chana Orloff’s grandchildren with the objective of better promoting her work.

They contribute to exhibitions in museums and galleries and authenticate pieces presented to them as experts.