Vadym Meller (also Vadim Meller) was a Ukrainian-Russian Soviet painter, avant-garde artist (Cubist, Constructivist), theatrical designer, book illustrator and architect. The first artist who was awarded a gold medal in Exposition Internationale des Modernes (Art Deco) in Paris 1925. Meller was born in Saint-Petersburg. He was the second son of a top official in the Ministry of Justice in the Russian Empire. His father George Meller was a noble-born Swede, his mother Helena Caruso, half-Italian-half-Greek, was also from a noble family.

From 1903 to 1908 he was the student of Kiev University. In 1905 Vadim Meller visited Geneva, Switzerland where he was taking art lessons in private school of Franz Roubaud. In 1908 with recommendation of Roubaud he continued his education in private art school of Drawing and Painting of Heinrich Knirr in Munich, Germany. There Vadim Meller met his student Paul Klee who introduced him to Der Blaue Reiter group.

After graduating from the Kiev University with a degree in law, he acquired artistic education in the Munich Academy of Fine Arts (from 1908 to 1912). He was later married to Nina Genke.  Meller was in close contact with Der Blaue Reiter group. In this time he met Wassily Kandinsky with whom he became friends. He started to exhibit his works after he had moved to Paris, where he joined the Société des Artistes Indépendants. Vadim Meller was also a student of Antoine Bourdelle.

In 1912-1914 together with Kazimir Malevich, Sonia Delaunay, Alexander Archipenko, Aleksandra Ekster he participated in exhibitions: Salon des Indépendants, Spring Salon, and Salon D’ Automne along side Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and André Derain.

After returning to Kiev in 1917, he worked at easel and monumental painting, graphic design, and costume design. His transition to scenography as the main field of artistic activity took place in the first post-revolutionary years. From 1918-1921 , he worked with scenographer and dancer Bronislava Nijinska (Vaslav Nijinsky’s sister) in her ballet studio.

In 1922 Les Kurbas invited Vadim Meller to the recently founded Berezil theater. In 1925 Vadim Meller together with Sonia Terk, Alexandra Exter, Nathan Altman participated in Exposition Internationale des Modernes (Art Deco) in Paris. There Vadim Meller was awarded a gold medal for his scenic design of the Berezil theater.

In 1925 Vadim Meller participated in the International Theater Exposition in New York. Vadim Meller became the leader of Constructivism in Ukrainian theater design. He worked in the National theater as a chief artist till 1945.

From 1925 he also taught at the Kiev Art Academy (KKHI) together with Vladimir Tatlin and Alexander Bogomazov. In the same year Vadim Meller became the member of the union of artists Association of the Revolutionary Masters of Ukraine together with David Burliuk ( co-founder), Alexander Bogomazov (co-founder), Vasiliy Yermilov, Victor Palmov and Khvostenko-Khvostov.

Meller worked as an acting director of the Monumental Painting and Sculpture Institute of the Academy of Architecture of the Ukrainian SSR (1946-1948), a chief artist of the Kiev Music Comedy Theater (1948 – 1953) and a chief artist of the Iv. Franko Kiev Academic Theater (1953-1959). Vadim Meller died in Kiev in 1962.

Like with so many other artists, Vadym Meller has also been frequently copied. One of the most recent discoveries of a fake Meller is this costume design which was previously thought to have been made by the artist.

Still wondering about a painting in your family collection? Contact us…it could be by Vadym Meller.