Chisinau, Bessarabian Governorate, Russia 1912-1985 Almaty, Kazakhstan

(1912, Chishinau – 1985, Almaty) Born in Moldova to a German father and a Jewish mother, Pavel Zaltsman was a versatile artist and writer. He trained as an illustrator and in decorative arts in Odessa and St. Petersburg, influenced by avant-garde artist Pavel Filonov. In 1942, Zaltsman was evacuated to Almaty with the Lenfilm studio from the Siege of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Zaltsman became a legendary figure as head art director of the young Kazakhfilm studio, significantly shaping Kazakh cinema, with his touch evident in films like Jigit Girl (Девушка-джигит, 1955). He also completed monumental mosaic reliefs for the Kazakhfilm studio buildings, still visible today. Though a campaign against ‘cosmopolitanism’ (1948–53) limited his official work, targeting Jewish intellectuals and perceived Western influence, he ceaselessly created a rich body of personal art, often figurative, and published novels, short stories and poems. He taught art history as a means of survival and influenced generations of Kazakh intellectuals. His watercolour Warriors, displayed in Qonaqtar, embodies his distinctive vision and deep symbolism.