Robert Genin was born in Wisokoje, Russia in 1884. In 1903 he left his native country to study art in Paris, mostly under Puvis de Chavannes. From 1904 to 1907 he traveled throughout France.   By 1911 Genin had moved to Munich, Germany. In Munich he became a member of Der Blaue Reiter (‘The Blue Rider’) group which lasted from 1911-1914. The group included Kandinsky, Klee, Jawlensky, Kubin, Picasso, Delaunay, Marc, Macke, Munter and Schonberg, to name a few.  He exhibited in the 1912 “International Kunst Ausstellung…” in Cologne with the Germans, including Heckel, Hofer, Klee, Jawlensky, Kandinsky, Kirchner, Marc, Nolde, and others.

Genin was also a printmaker, working in lithography primarily.  He contributed 30 prints to the book “Marsyas” published in Berlin in 1917 in an edition of 235 and edited by Theodor Tagger.  Other artists included Gramatte, Geiger, Jaeckel, Meid and Grossman.  Genin had joined the Munich Secession movement in 1914 and exhibited with them in their only pre-war exhibition in 1914, it was over by 1919. In 1921, Robert Genin moved to Berlin and became a leading Weimar era artist there.

Genin returned to his native Russia in 1937, the same year his graphic work was shown in Munich at Hitler’s famous exhibition of “Entarte Kunst” (Degenerate Art).

Robert Genin died in Moscow in 1943.