Yakov Chapiro (1897-1972) was born in Daugavpils, Latvia. He studied at art schools in Kharkov (1915) and Kiev (1918).

He was a principle of Yekaterinoslav (currently Dnepropetrovsk) School of Painting (1919). In 1921 he went to Saint Petersburg, where he continued studying at State independent art workshop and was at the head of the art school for children. In 1920s he was engaged in scenography in Saint Petersburg and Moscow theatres. He took part in such exhibitions as: N. Dobychina Art Agency (1922), of Saint Petersburg artists’ paintings of all movements (1923), of the United Art group (1925). In 1925 he settled down in Paris. Since 1926 he exhibited in salons: Autumn, Tuileries, Society of Independent Artists, Populiste, since 1935 – in Society of Superindependent Artists. He had his personal exhibitions in such galleries as Kleinman (1930), Bonaparte (1936), de L’Elysee (1946); he also took part in many exhibitions of Russian art including the exhibition called The Russian Artists of School of Paris (1961). He created the printings for the book Selected Poems by D. Knut. In 1960 he published his memorandum about the life of a well-known in 1920s artist’s residence La Ruche. He favoured the preservation of La Ruche when the building was on the verge of demolition. His works of art are presented in National Museum of Modern Art in Paris and in the Art Institute in Chicago.

   
Bose
Oil on canvas; 260 х 140 cm
Untitled
Oil on canvas; 73 х 54 cm