![Chana Orloff Chana Orloff](../../images/contributors/orloff-chana.jpg)
Bois Gravés: An Artist’s Response to Loss
Chana Orloff (1888–1968) was a figurative sculptor whose career spanned more than five decades. Born in Ukraine, Orloff moved to Paris in her early twenties and studied sculpture at the Académie Vassilieff. In 1916 she married Polish poet Ary Justman, and together they published Réflexions Poétiques in 1917: a collection of his poems and her illustrations, woodcuts, and photographs of sculptures. Justman contracted influenza during the 1918 influenza pandemic and died in January 1919; in May 1919 Orloff published Bois Gravés, an album of portraits in response to Justman’s death. In addition, Orloff is known for her sculpted portraits of artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Amedeo Modigliani, among others. Her works are featured in collections across Europe, the United States, and Israel.