Portrait of a Mongolian chief

Iacovleff's remarkable paintings and drawings make him to one of the leading figures of the 20th century painter travellers. He had a gift for capturing the psychology of his sitters, who, seen in close-up, are painted with stylised elegance. In other compositions, elongated, microscopic people enliven grandiose landscapes. At the outbreak of the Russian revolution in 1917, Iacovleff went through China, Mongolia and Japan. In 1920, he settled in Paris, where his dynamic personality and talent brought him notoriety. Iacovleff was named official artist to the Citroën expedition, the Croisière Noire, which crossed Africa in 1924-25. In 1928, he visited Ethiopia with Henri de Rothschild. In 1931-32, he accompanied the Croisière Jaune, another Citroën expedition, this time to Asia. In 1935, he directed the Boston Museum School of Art, but soon resigned in order to devote his time to painting.