Lazar Berson was born into a Jewish family in the village of Skopichky, Russia (now Skapiškis, Lithuania) in 1882; he studied painting in St Petersburg, where, influenced by traditional Russian folk art, he sought to develop a specifically 'Jewish' art, before moving to Paris. Following the outbreak of the First World War, Berson moved to London, founding 'The Jewish-National Decorative Art Association (London) Ben Ouri' in 1915. He continued to experiment with decorative art and design, until his sudden disappearnce from England in 1916; later resurfacing in Nice, France.