Marie Vassilieff was a Russian-born French painter and sculptor. She was associated with the Cubist and Montparnasse movements in Paris in the early 20th century. Vassilieff was known for her work as an art teacher, running a popular art academy in Paris where many artists of the time, including Marc Chagall and Alexander Calder, studied under her. Her own artwork often depicted scenes of Parisian life, such as cafes, circuses, and street scenes, and was characterized by its vivid colours and bold, geometric shapes.