Kalman Aron (1924)

Kalman (Kalmann) Aron (14 September 1924, Riga) — artist.

Aron Kalman began drawing at the age of three. His first exhibition took place when he was seven years old and sold out in a single day. Studied at art schools in Europe, including the Academies of Arts in Riga and Vienna. At the age of thirteen received his first commission — a portrait of Kārlis Ulmanis, Prime Minister of Latvia. At the same time, Ulmanis granted him permission to attend the Latvian Academy of Arts.

He survived the Holocaust, spending seven years in concentration camps, while his family perished. In 1949 he emigrated to the United States, and in 1955 obtained citizenship. Worked in Los Angeles as a professional painter, portraitist, and teacher. Held numerous solo exhibitions; his works are included in collections worldwide (USA, UK, Israel, Austria, among others).

Aron Kalman created portraits of US President Ronald Reagan, writer Henry Miller, cellist Nathaniel Rosen, conductor André Previn, actress Gia Scala, and others, as well as landscapes, still lifes, and portraits. He taught at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. A representative of the style known as psychological realism, he worked in oils, acrylics, pastels, ink, and watercolours.