Serge Poliakoff

Why this artist matters now

Serge Poliakoff was a Russian-born abstract painter who developed a distinctive approach to color and geometric form in the decades following World War II. Working primarily in oil on canvas, he constructed compositions of interlocking planes in muted earth tones and jewel-like hues, often organized around a subtle diagonal or asymmetrical tension. His work occupied a middle ground between lyrical abstraction and constructivist geometry, avoiding both pure non-objectivity and decorative pattern. Active in Paris from the 1930s onward, Poliakoff became central to the postwar European abstract movement.

Source: Christies Artsy · Trust score: 100% · Updated 1mo ago