Alexander
Alexandrovich Rubtsov

A. A. Rubtsov was born 24 Jan 1884 in St. Petersburg. Grandson of honorary citizen of this city Alexander Ivanovich Rubtsov, the future painter was raised godmother - artist Catherine Karlovna, the Janitor and her husband, artist J. F. Tsionglinsky.

In 1904 he graduated from the 8th gymnasium in St. Petersburg and entered the painting Department of the Imperial Academy of arts, where he studied with D. N. Kardovsky and J. F. Tsionglinskogo. In 1907 he visited Venice, Vienna and Paris, where he visited the Studio of Auguste Rodin. In 1910 and 1911 traveled to Italy and Sicily. In 1912 he spent the summer in the Palace of Prince Golitsyn Paul, where he prepared the canvas, which in the contest of the Academy of arts was awarded the Grand Prix. In November 1912 he received the title of artist in painting and a scholarship to a four-year foreign practices in a few countries of their choice. In 1913 he visited Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain, England and Morocco (Tangier). At the end of December of the same year returned to St. Petersburg for the device posthumous exhibition, J. F. Tsionglinskogo and release of the book " the Covenants Tsionglinskogo ".

April 1, 1914, the artist arrived in Tunisia, where after the outbreak of the first world war were cut off from Russia. 11 Nov 1915 settled in the apartment-Studio on the street of al-Jazeera, on the border of Arab and European parts of the Tunisian capital. Here he lived for 35 years until the end of his days.

Nature, architecture and types of North Africa became the main theme of the works of A. A. Rubtsov. Our love of the Maghreb and Arab life "is so unique and unexpected," he fully expressed in numerous works. In just four years the artist has created more than 600 paintings and sketches, several albums of drawings. Until the end of 1917, the Scarring was in correspondence with the Russian Academy of arts, and regularly sent to Petrograd photos of their paintings.

Stunned by the events in Russia, the collapse of the entire old world, the artist withdrew into myself completely immersed in creativity.

He led a reclusive lifestyle and had virtually no contact with their compatriots who arrived in December 1920 in the port city of Bizerte on the ships of the Russian squadron. Among the rare visitors to his humble abode was the famous Isadora Duncan, was awarded a mention in the diary of the artist.

Tunisian celebrities whose portraits were painted by A. A. Rubtsov, was impressed with his honesty, erudition and indifference to material goods. Always very simply but elegantly dressed, he didn't need anything except the box of paints, a folding chair and notebooks. The artist avoided the vendors of paintings and refused to work for money.

Painfully modest and sensitive, he made Tunis his paintings, was very demanding of himself and shortly before his death stated: "From al-Jazeera, I began to feel the inferiority of his perception of painting, and in 1944 came to the conclusion that you do not know how to write."

In 1920 Scarring participated in the first postwar Tunisian salon, where he exhibited 132 works. From that time he became one of the pillars of the Tunisian center for the fine arts. In the same year, the artist has offered 250 works in a solo exhibition at the Goupil gallery in London, and in 1921 and 1922 have been exhibited in the gallery Manuel freres in Paris.

In 1920, the Scars became a knight of the order of Bay differences, and in 1924 simultaneously with the award of the order of the French Academy of fine arts received French citizenship.

In subsequent years Scar has participated in the Paris art Salons: Autumn, Independent artists, Artists, humorists, National society of fine arts. At the same time was exhibited at the Salon of French Africa in Tunis (1928), in the Interior of North Africa in Casablanca (1929), showed a collection of "Nudes" in the hall of the Tunisian daily newspaper.

In 1937 he participated in the International exhibition in Paris the exhibition of the former graduates of the Imperial Academy of arts in Belgrade.

In 1938 - 1940 Scarring published a series of articles about the old Tunisia in the journal "Tunisie", in which said with sadness about the gradual disappearance of local identities under the pressure of European modernism.

In 1941, Scar wrote monumental paintings for the chamber of Commerce of Tunisia and the Embassy of France in that country.

In 1944 he released an album of sketches of the streets of Tunis, and prepared drawings of Tunisian postage stamps.

In 1947 the artist in recent times visited France and had a solo exhibition at the gallery La Boetie in Paris. The newspaper "Le Figaro" reported that the French President expressed his admiration for the "Arab woman" Rubtsov.

The artist died on November 26, 1949, from tuberculosis in a French hospital in Tunis. In the last hours of his life while in a delirium he spoke only in Russian, but no one understood him. A. A. Rubtsov was buried compatriots in the Russian section Tunisian Christian cemetery, Borgel. His coffin was covered with the flag of St. Andrew with the Russian squadron. So ended the journey of St Petersburg, gave all his life and talent, loved by him to Tunisia. "The legacy of the selfless priest of art will always find an echo in the hearts of the people" - said the Tunisian critic Ali Louati.

A. A. Rubtsov represented in the Metropolitan Museum of Tunisia, museums Carnavalet and Petit Palais in Paris. All in all he painted nearly 3,000 paintings, watercolors, portraits, mosaics and sketches. And only four of his early works, created in 1909 and 1912, are kept at Home in the Hermitage and the Museum of the Academy of arts in St. Petersburg.

Today the artistic heritage of A. A. Rubtsov - the object of research and debate of foreign art historians. The work of this artist of the Russian Diaspora know, worship and love in Tunisia and in France. His paintings are above all listed in the most prestigious galleries and salons.