The Life and Art of Nicolas Millioti
Nicolas Millioti was a Russian painter and a representative of Russian symbolism. Born in Moscow, Russian Empire, he was part of a family with Greek origins. His artistic education began at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where he studied under Abram Arkhipov, Leonid Pasternak, and Valentin Serov, and also attended the private studio of Constantin Korovine. His academic journey continued at the University of Moscow in the faculty of philology and history, followed by studies at the Sorbonne in Paris. During his time in Paris, he was interested in the Académie Julian and encountered Jean-Paul Laurens and James Abbott McNeill Whistler.
His early work in the years following 1900 focused on symbolist themes, including dreams and gallant scenes. His paintings often featured allegorical images of angels, mirages, and fairy-like subjects, sometimes approaching abstract ornamentation. In 1907, he helped organize the Moscow exhibition of the "Blue Rose." He was also a founding member of the artistic group Mir iskousstva ("The World of Art").
Emigration and Later Years
Following the events of 1920, Millioti emigrated, spending time in Sofia, Bulgaria, and later working in Berlin. In 1923, he moved to Paris, where his studio was visited by figures such as Paul Valéry, Rainer Maria Rilke, and André Maurois. During this period, he was involved in theatrical productions, including a puppet theater and designing costumes and decorations for the spectacle La Princesse Carême.
In the 1930s, his work shifted toward predominately portraiture, capturing figures such as Fédor Chaliapine and Nadejda Teffi. During the war years, he lived in Biarritz and produced a series of drawings titled "Misères et désastres de la guerre." He returned to Paris in 1942, where he produced many self-portraits. He died in Paris and was buried in the Russian Cemetery of Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois.
