Fort dantibes nicolas de stael biography

This prolific Russian-born artist struggled to succeed — and wrestled with success.

The handsome, nattily-attired gentleman you see here is artist Nicolas de Staël.

Born in 1914 into the Russian aristocracy, de Staël spent his toddlerhood living in St. Petersburg’s majestic Peter and Paul Fortress, where his father, a Tsarist general, served as commandant.

Fort dantibes nicolas de stael biography

Alas, the citadel’s walls weren’t sufficient to hold back the winds of political change sweeping Europe in the early 20th Century — when the Bolshevik Revolution came in 1917, de Staël and his family fled to Estonia, then Poland.

Though they avoided the bloody fate of their friends the Romanovs, within five years, both de Staël’s parents had died. He and his sisters were placed in foster care with a Russian couple living in Belgium. After completing his education, where he excelled in the arts, languages, and athletic pursuits including fencing and tennis, de Staël