Jean Lambert-Rucki (Polish/French, 1888-1967), "La Visite", oil on artist's board, signed and dated "1927" upper left, inscribed "Atelier Lamberte-Rucki" and titled en verso, 25 1/2 in. x 19 3/4 in., fabric matted, in a silvered cove molded wood frame. Provenance: Purchased from Camard & Associates, Arts Decoratifs du XXe Siecle, June 1, 2005.References: Benezit. Dictionnaire des Peintres, Librairie Grund, 1976, vol. 6, p. 403. Note: Rucki was born in Cracow and attended the Fine Arts Academy of that city, studying under Jozef Pankiewicz (1866-1940). In 1911 he moved to Paris where he studied at the Colorossi Academy. During WWI he joined the French army as a foreign volunteer; originally sent to the front, Rucki was transferred to Salonika where he took part in the restoration of Byzantine mosaics. This experience with mosaics influenced Rucki's appreciation of shape and color as they interact with each other. He eventually settled in the artistic community at Montparnasse where he befriended Chaim Soutine (Russian, 1893-1943) and shared a studio with Amadeo Modigliani (Italian, 1884-1920). Rucki exhibited in the 1919 Autumn Salon, at the Salon des Independants, and at the Salon des Tuileries. Between 1922 and 1924 he showed with the Cubists at the Section d'Or group at the Galerie l'Effort Moderne. In 1930 he exhibited at the newly formed l'Union des Artistes Modernes; he continued to show there for years. In 1937, Rucki was requested to take part in the Pavillion de l'Union des Artistes Moderne at l'Exposition Universalle in Paris. Inspired by the teachings of his tutor Pankiewicz, Rucki took trips to Russia, visiting Moscow, Petrograd and Kiev. Numerous posthumous exhibitions in Rucki's honor were organized in cities such as Hong Kong, Tokyo, Paris, Athens, Cherbourg, New York, Marseilles, and Berlin.