About Claire Maratier and Michel Kikoïne
Michel Kikoïne and the Kikoïne Wing
Michel Kikoïne (1892–1968), one of the prominent painters of the School of Paris, was born in Gomel (present-day Belarus) to a Jewish family. After studying in Vilnius, he moved to Paris in 1912, quickly becoming part of the local art scene alongside fellow Jewish artists such as Soutine, Chagall, and Lipchitz. Initially influenced by Cézanne and Pissarro, Kikoïne later developed a unique artistic style characterized by bold color, emotional depth, and expressive brushwork. His work reflects a synthesis of painterly expressiveness with a charged Jewish Eastern-European experience. Kikoïne exhibited in major galleries and salons in France and abroad, and visited Israel in the 1950s. His oeuvre includes landscapes, portraits, and still life, all reflecting a desire to portray a sense of unity with the world, not merely its external appearance.
The Yad Michel Kikoïne Wing was established in 2004, adjacent to the Genia Schreiber University Art Gallery, through the generous donation of his daughter, the late Claire Maratier, in his memory. The wing includes an exhibition space, an auditorium, and classrooms for academic and artistic activity. Upon its inauguration, the university received a donation of 40 of Kikoïne’s artworks.
Between 2008 and 2015, Claire Maratier initiated an annual award for an outstanding Israeli painter, presented during the university’s Board of Governors meetings. Among the recipients were Maya Cohen Levy, Ruth Dorrit Yacoby, and Gilad Efrat.
