Born Christmas day 1899 in Borisglebsk, Russia, Died in Chelsea, New York in 1974. As a child he was influenced, around 1910, by an exhibition of Russian paintings he saw in Moscow. The Soyer family moved to America in 1913 and between 1916 and 1920 he studied art at Cooper Union, the National Academy of Design, the Ferrer Art School (where Robert Henri and George Bellows were his instructors) and at The Educational Alliance Art School. One of the most important figurative artists of the twentieth century, Moses Soyer is known for his portraits of everyday people; young couples, workers, actresses, dancers, artists, friends and family. All his works depict intimate moments of quiet reflection and probe the psychological depths of the sitter. Moses Soyer’s humanism and sensitivity to individual character is especially evident in his paintings of his artist friends such as Jack Levine, Chaim Gross, Joesph Stella, David Burliuk, Robert Gwathmey, Ben Shahn, Max Weber, Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence, among others, and reflect his involvement with this vibrant community of New York artists.