He was born Alexei Mikhailovich Kremkov in
Kazan,
Russian Empire. He graduated from the
naval academy in
Saint Petersburg. During
World War I, he served in the
Russian Navy on a
destroyer. Kremkov left Russia after the
Bolshevik Revolution. He traveled east through China and Japan before reaching Egypt and finally France, where his name was romanised as Alexis Michel Kremkoff. In
Nice, he drew cartoons for the magazine "Sur La Riviera" and then moved to Paris, where he drew cartoons for
Le Matin,
Fantasio,
Sourire and others. In 1924, he immigrated to New York City, where he began contributing to
The New Yorker. He was a long-time contributor to the Sunday drama section of
The New York Herald Tribune. He painted theater sets as well, including
Nikita Baliyev's
Die Fledermaus. In 1926, he was hired to create
caricatures of
Broadway and other celebrities for the
celebrity wall at
Sardi's Restaurant in New York City. Owner
Vincent Sardi and Gard drew up a contract which stated Gard would produce caricatures in exchange for one meal per day at the restaurant. He was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1940 (under the name Alexis Gard Kremkoff). During
World War II, Gard served in the
United States Navy as a specialist first class. Gard continued to draw caricatures in exchange for meals until his death, ultimately creating more than 700 pictures. Today, the caricatures are housed in the
Billy Rose Theatre Collection of the
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. ==Death==