Morgan Russell was born in New York City, but gained his early artistic training in Europe. He is best known as an American artist, painter, and printmaker. As a young artist living in Paris, Russell befriended the legendary art patrons Leo and Gertrude Stein. Russell also became exposed to Pablo Picasso’s work and became a student of Matisse. Fauvism and Cubism were early influences on Morgan Russell. Encouraged by the great modern painters around him, Russell’s career began to flourish. Along with his colleague Stanton Mac-Donald Wright, Russell developed a painting style and color theory known as Synchromism, in which they abandoned representation and focused on abstraction. Upon returning to New York, Russell exhibited his Synchromist paintings at the historic New York Armory Show of 1913. Stanton MacDonald Wright took the paintings to Los Angeles, California to exhibit.

After spending time as a New York artist, Russell returned to Europe and remained in France during the World War II. He lived in Southern France, where he moved away from Synchromism and his early style. Morgan Russell denounced abstraction and returned to an interest painting the figure. Morgan Russell’s later works include nudes, landscapes, and classical subjects in realist styles. Russell’s work is held in museums throughout the world including the National Portrait Gallery, D.C.; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California’ Museum of Modern Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art; San Diego Art Museum; among others.