Sasza Blonder

Shaye Blonder, better known by his alias Andre Blondel or Sasza (Sasha), grew up in Czortkow, situated southeast of Lwow, now Lviv in Ukraine. In 1926, he made his initial journey to Paris, and by 1929, he had obtained a scholarship to study architecture at the École de Beaux-Arts in Paris. Following this, he returned to Poland in 1931 to commence painting studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. Concurrently, he was actively involved in left-wing political organizations. Alongside friends, he founded the "Zywi" Association (The Living), which helped birth the "Krakow Group" of Artists. Their inaugural exhibition occurred in Lwow in 1933. By 1935, Blondel had taken on the role of stage manager at the Jewish School of Bielsko's theater. During this time, he also directed productions at the Cricot Theater in Krakow. Subsequently, he relocated to Paris, settling in the Cité Falguiere, where he met numerous Montparnasse artists. In 1939, he joined the Polish Army in France. However, he was discharged in Toulouse on June 28, 1940, and made his way to Aix-en-Provence. There, he met Louise Bonfils (Lisou), who assisted him in reaching Carcassone in November 1942. There, he found refuge in Escoussols in the Black Mountains, protected by members of the Protestant Resistance. Using falsified identity documents, he wedded Louise under the name Andre Blondel in 1943. Together, they had two children, Hélène and Marc, and resided in Carcassonne until 1948. Following the Liberation of France, Blondel, along with François Desnoyer, Gabriel Couderc, and Camille Descossy, gave birth to the School of Sete. The Blondel family relocated to Sceaux in the autumn of 1948, before settling in Paris. Tragically, on June 14, 1949, André Blondel died in an accident on the rue de Seine. He was forty years old.