Aron Bilis

Born in Odessa to an acculturated Jewish family, André Aron Bilis attended that city’s Imperial Academy of Fine Arts and the Parisian École des Beaux-Arts, where he was drawn to Impressionism. Disqualified for military service in 1914 due to an injury, he moved to Buenos Aires. Bilis served as the artistic director of the Colon Theatre and was also adviser to a number of newspapers and journals. Traveling throughout South America, he became known for his landscapes and portraits of indigenous Mapuche people of Chile and Argentina. In 1929, Bilis returned to Paris and established a successful career as a charcoal portrait artist. He survived World War II in Ariège, painting Pyrenean landscapes.