Painting and graphics

Written by: Jewish Historical Institute
The collection of painting and graphics comprises about 8,000 items and is one of the largest collections of works of Jewish artists of the interwar period.

In the collections of the Museum, there are also three sketches by this artist, one of them is „Dancing Jews” which is absolutely brilliant, the movement (dance) is captured with a soft line as if „in flight.” In the collection of the Museum, next to paintings by such artists as Leopold Pilichowski (1869–1933/34?), Jakub Weinles (1870–1938), Natan Altman (1889-1970) and Zygmunt Nadel (1856–1926) are very interesting large collections of work by Maurycy Trębacz (1861–1941), Samuel Hirszenberg (1865–1908) and Artur Markowicz (1872–1934). 

The collection of about 100 drawings, pastels and oil paintings of Artur Markowicz is the biggest in the JHI Museum collection of art by one artist; it allows one to accurately trace the development of his talent and to precisely read his work. Another valuable collection is a set of 17 paintings from all periods of the creative activity of the brothers Menasze and Efraim Seidenbeutel (1902-1945).

In the collection, there are watercolors and drawings of a talented artist, Gela Seksztajn (1907-1943), which come from the Ringelblum Archive, and other saved works, among others from the Lodz ghetto, by Józef Kowner (1902–1967), Hersz Szyllis (1909–1990), Vincenty Brauner (1887–1944), Sara Gliksman (1910?), Natan Szpigel (1887–1942) and a wide collection of works by Izrael Lejzerowicz (1900–1944).

The leading subject of the graphics and drawings in the collection are generic scenes on Jewish subject matter. Among the most interesting are drawings by Samuel Hirszenberg, Artur Markowicz, the lithographic series of Hersz Danielewicz (1882-1941/42) „From the old life of Jews,” lithographic prints of Maks Eljowicz (1890-1942), Jan Feliks Piwarski (1794-1859), Rachela Markus Szalit (1894-1942), illustrations of Michał E. Andriolli (1836-1893) to „Meir Ezofowicz”.

Among the most interesting are etchings by Józef Budka – landscapes from the Płońsk region and Pesach Haggadah illustrations. An exceptional set in the collection is six paintings by Bruno Schulz (1892–1942), among them a one-of-a-kind Self-portrait of the artist (1919). 

Jewish Historical Institute