| "Andre Kohn was born in Stalingrad in the heart of the former Soviet Union. He spent his first 12 years in the Southern part of the country near the Caspian Sea. Growing up in the small town of Baku gave Kohn an appreciation for nature, which he carries with him to this day. For years Andre had pursued a sports career, and had become a promising young athlete by his teens. He had always been a romantic at heart, so at the age of 15 he left athletics to study art. He began by studying the works of the masters, surrounding himself with volumes of texts. He found his way into the studios of some of the most prominent artists in Russia, including painter Natalya Govrishenko and sculptor Anatoly Vrubel. Studying under these talented artists he developed a love for the world of art and a passion to make his own contribution. Kohn spent years honing his skills through personal studies and work as a scenic artist before enrolling in the Fine Arts Department at a prestigious Russian university. The art world began taking notice of the 19 year old freshman. He was invited to exhibit his paintings in a one-man show at the Central Exhibition Hall in Ruse, Bulgaria. The event drew press from all over the country, bringing Kohn into the public spotlight. Many of his works were purchased for private and corporate collections.
While staying in Bulgaria, Andre met well-known European graphic artist Antony Sofev. His introduction to Sofev and his powerful drawings had a major influence on Andre’s career, sowing a passion for the world of graphic arts and drawing.
Kohn returned to Russia to continue his training, studying not only figure drawing but millinery and fashion design as well. This concentration would later lead to his highly sought after, limited palette paintings of women often depicted in couture dresses and fantastic hats. Through fine art galleries in Moscow, Kohn’s paintings were sold to collectors from around the world.. As his studies continued, Andre drew inspiration from Russian masters such as Nicholai Fechin, Valentin Serov, Ilya Repin, Vasily Surikov, Vasily Perov, and Karl Bryullov and European masters such as Michelangelo, Delacroix, Durer, and Degas specifically influenced Kohn in regard to rendering the human form.
In 1992, at the age of twenty, he brought a dozen of his drawings and his continuing quest for knowledge to the United States, settling in Montgomery, Alabama. At his first juried show in the U.S., Kohn submitted six of his paintings. He won four first prizes, one second, and one third. His talent once again drew immediate attention at his first U.S. one-man show. The show brought him media exposure in the U.S., and he became a member of the Montgomery Art Guild. He also became a member of the National Drawing Society.
Since his first U.S. exhibition, Kohn’s works have been featured in a number of one-man, group, and juried shows as well as being the subject of many regional and national press articles. The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts in Montgomery, Alabama and the International Museum of the Horse in Lexington, Kentucky are among the museums that have shown his works. Andre received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Auburn University at Montgomery and became the first recipient of the International Peace Scholarship. In the course of his studies, he became fascinated with the rich culture and history of Native Americans. This discovery has become one of the focal points of his own artistic style. Today he continues to paint figures influenced by his European tutelage as well as images of the American west and is frequently commissioned for both private and public works. Kohn’s works are housed in the permanent collections of the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles, California and Indian Temple Mound Museum in Fort Walton Beach, Florida."
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