The Russian Revolution of 1917 forced Michelson to leave Russia for Munich, Germany where he participated in the beginnings of German Expressionism. By 1920 Michelson was living in Paris and had established an international reputation for his paintings, prints, and sculptures. As a prominent member of the Paris School his works were shown in major exhibits throughout Western Europe, the Soviet Union, and the United States. After the fall of Paris to Nazi Germany in 1939, Michelson fled to New York City.

Michelson is described as an "eternal emigrant, eternal student" because he was always studying and experimenting with new styles. Michelson actually carried crayons with him so he could sketch where ever he was. Art historians have compared Michelson to both Chagall and Picasso[citation needed], but it was Titian who Michelson said was his inspiration. Michelson painted over 1,000 paintings. His widow, Janine, selected Marshall, Texas as the permanent home for her late husband's works in what is known as the Michelson Museum of Art.

The author of Sefer ha-Yashar, together with the author of Jossipon, is credited with adding another aspect to the medieval story about biblical times: they attempted, and frequently succeeded, in incorporating non-Jewish legends, history, and mythology into the biblical story. The Jews of the Byzantine Empire, Italy, and Spain accepted the legends and history of the people among whom they lived as being part of the history of the world, and argued that as such they form part of the Bible which was believed to include all the important events in human history. These authors, and others, therefore, developed a system of synchronization and analogy to establish a connection between non-Jewish stories and biblical heroes and chronology.

Added t.p.: Sepher hajaschar.Das Heldenbuch. Sagen, Berichte und Erzaehlungen aus der israelitischen Urzeit. Nach aeltesten Drucken herausgegeben von Lazarus Goldschmidt. Mit Holzschnitten von Leo Michelson...

עמ' V-[VIII]: הקדמת אליעזר גולדשמידט: "התאמצתי לנקות את הספר משבושים גסים (ובמקום שיש שנוים בדפוס בררתי את הנוסח המחוור טפי)... תיבות ומאמרים הנמצאים בדפוס זה וחסרים בדפוס אחר הקפתי במקיפין ... וכן גם תקונים מסברא ושבושים שלא הוסרו לגמרי... נתתי מקום להקדמת המדפיס הראשון (ר' יוסף בן שמואל הקטן) והגהותיו". הגהות אלו נדפסו בסוף הספר, אך "הקדמת המדפיס הראשון" שנדפסה בהוצאת ויניציאה שפ"ה, לא נדפסה. נראה שדפוס זה לא היה לפני א' גולדשמידט, אלא "דפוסים ישנים" שבהם באו שינויים בנוסח. בהקדמה קובץ גולדשמידט, שדפוס נאפולי אינו קיים, "כי עד היום הזה לא ראה איש את הדפוס הזה".