Charming colors and brushstrokes, the Russian-French painter Kruger grew up in China

Constantin Kluge Constantine Kruger, Russian-French painter, (1912-2003)

Constantin Kluge (1912-2003) was a Russian-born French painter known for his naturalistic style depicting Paris and the French countryside. Kruger was born on January 29, 1912, to a wealthy military family in Riga, Latvia, when Riga was a large industrial port city in Russia. Much of his childhood and adult life was spent between the northeast, Beijing and Hong Kong, where he discovered a love of brushes and ink paintings.

Kruger studied architecture at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris and received his diploma in 1937. After graduation, he painted the riverbanks and streets of Shanghai before returning to Shanghai. In 1950, he went to Paris and began exhibiting works in the French Salon. He died on 9 January 2003 in Paris, France.