History:

The Michelson Museum of Art was established in 1985 for the special purpose of accepting and caring for the life works of Russian-American artist Leo Michelson (1887 - 1978). Michelson was born in Riga, Latvia, and began his studies at the Imperial School in St. Petersburg. He later studied and lived in Munich, Berlin, Paris and the United States, becoming an American citizen in 1945. His work spans several different periods without falling prey to any of the "categories" that have been assigned to these periods. His early career was influenced by old Russian Art and German and French Impressionism. He was categorized as a painter of the "Paris School" but developed a style and concept that was as advanced and imaginative as any of the greatly acclaimed experiments of his time.