He was born into the family of a teacher of ancient languages. He studied at Vicebsk city four-class school and at drawing school of Y. Pen. In 1905, he was sent to England where studied at a boarding school in Sunderland and attended an art school. In 1906, he moved to London, where he worked in a joinery, attended evening classes at Polytechnic School, studied wood carving at the school of arts and crafts.
