Overview
Marie Marevna was the daughter of a Polish nobleman and a Russian actress, from whom she acquired the name, Vorobieff. Her initial studies took place in Moscow and continued in Italy in 1911. It was there that she came to know Maxim Arshile Gorky, a great influence and encouraging force in her development. He convinced her to change her name to Marevna, which came from a Russian fairy tale about a sea princess. In 1912, when she traveled to Paris, she became acquainted with the Russian writer, Ilya Ehrenbourg, whose friendship placed her in the midst of the artistic milieu with the likes of Picasso, Modigliani, L’hote, Gris, Cocteau and other members of the École de Paris. In constant company of such influential contemporaries, her own work developed within itself as well as grew in the public eye. In 1913, she exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants and was considered the first woman to become an integral part of the Cubist circle.