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A Jewish French-Romanian artist, Ackerman is a prolific painter that transcends 20th century cubism.
Together with his parents, Ackerman moves to Paris in 1912 where he develops a love for art while roaming the Louvre museum. He first studies law and philosophy, before becoming a pupil of Fernand Leger, and attending the Contemporary Academy in 1936-39. Convinced to pursue his artistic inclinations, Ackerman’s developments were stopped by WWII. Surviving a prison camp and living in refuge in the south of France, Ackerman paints on whatever materials he can find, while under the strong poetic influence of Pierre Bonnard. Returning to Paris in 1944, Ackerman is profoundly influenced by his friend Jacques Villon’s cubism and creates lyrical and somber landscapes and portraits. He has his first solo show in 1947 and wins the Paquement Prize in 1950. Ackerman begins his famous series “Breughel’s journey” in 1967 before having his retrospective held by the Galliera museum of Paris in 1970.