Maurycy Minkowski (1881-1930) – A Jewish Family – Oil on Canvas, 1919

Lot description

A Jewish Family, by Maurycy Minkowski (1881-1930). 1919. Oil on canvas. Signed and dated. Maurycy Minkowski (1881-1930) was born in Warsaw. As an infant, he lost his hearing and subsequently his ability to speak; nevertheless, he showed an early artistic talent and, in 1901, began his formal studies at the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts. With the outbreak of a wave of pogroms in Russia during the 1905 Revolution, Minkowski was greatly affected by the suffering of European Jewry which shattered the hope for the disappearance of anti-Semitism with the turn of the century; in his realistic paintings, he often documents the hunger, suffering and wanderings but also the happier facets of Jewish life and the place of women in Jewish society. His works were exhibited throughout Europe and in France he was even awarded an honorary medal by the government. In 1930, Minkowski travelled to Argentina, which was supposed to be the first station of a travelling exhibition which he planned throughout America, after which he meant to return to Poland and then embark on a journey to Palestine. When he was staying in Buenos Aires, he was hit by a passing car and killed. The Jewish community of the town, the AMIA, honored him after his death, purchasing many of his works that were offered for sale, and to this day owns a large collection of his paintings. 57X85 cm (70X99 cm with the frame). Good condition. Minor blemishes and chipping to color. Minor chipping to frame.