Andre Kohn — One of the most talented and one of the most collected figurative painters on the American art scene is represented by the Mary Martin Gallery. Growing up near the Caspian Sea, Kohn's received a formal art education from the University of Moscow where he studied with members of the last great generation of Russian Impressionists. After moving to America in 1993, it took very lttle time for American art audiences and the media to discover the mature, fresh figurative painting style depicted by Kohn.Kohn remains a preeminent leader of Figurative Impressionism and seeks to capture the complexity as well as the simplicity and directness of the human form. “I'm seeking my own unique, poetic interpretation of the moment,” he says. “I'm striving to find the extraordinary in the ordinary.” Martin says she fell immediately in love with his work because "It somehow makes the world a beautiful place for me." “I knew Andre Kohn’s work was for me when I first saw it. First, his work attracts me because it is incredibly beautiful. But, along with that, he is able to capture more than just that moment in time. An example of this would be in a new painting named “The Anniversary Surprise” and it depicts a man who has been shopping for a token of love for his wife on the celebration of their marriage. The bag he carries is a special color of blue. So, when I see this beautiful painting, I see the love that shows as he walks along the sidewalk with his little gift bag (looks like a Tiffany bag to me) on his way home. Then, I feel transported and find that I am looking at a lifetime of love in that painting. That is hat makes a great artist. That is Andre Kohn.” Mary Martin Andre was gifted with three things— family culture, an artistic environment and talent—which combined to produce one of the most collected figurative painters on the American art scene today. Raised by an artistically gifted family near the Caspian Sea in southern Russia, Andre Kohn’s childhood was marked by the natural splendor of mountains and sea, and by an unfettered access to all the creative arts. While always innovative in drawing and painting, Kohn’s professional art education began at age 15 when he was chosen to apprentice in the studios of Moscow’s most esteemed Impressionist and Social Realism artists. At that time, Impressionism in Russia was nearing the end of a harmonic and prolific century—a prodigious period in Russian art that literally changed the world. Kohn’s childhood and art education corresponded with an eruption of cultural progress in all the arts, including ballet, literature, music and painting. He was principally influenced by such artists as, Nicolai Fechin, Ilya Repin, Valentin Serov, and the classics: Edgar Degas , John Sargent, Joaquin Sorolla. Kohn remains a preeminent leader of Figurative Impressionism which seeks to capture the complexity as well as the simplicity and directness of the human form. “I’m seeking my own unique, poetic interpretation of the moment,” he says. “I’m striving to find the extraordinary in the ordinary.” Kohn travels the world for inspiration, periodically returning to France to continue his formal, classical studies. Kohn’s work is represented by premier galleries in the United States and he is a regular contributor to invitational exhibitions. Kohn is a frequent subject of highly regarded art publications, and his unique ability to communicate the expressiveness of the human form has kept him a mainstay of private, corporate and permanent museum collections worldwide.