Early Life and Artistic Foundations Alexander Arkad'evich Labas, a name perhaps less immediately recognizable than some of his Avant-Garde contemporaries, nevertheless occupies a vital position in the narrative of 20th-century Russian art. Born on February 19, 1900, in Smolensk, Russia, Labas’s early life was marked by loss; the death of his mother cast a long shadow over his childhood and perhaps contributed to an introspective natur…