Herman Sachs (Hermann Sachs, originally Segall) (1883–1940) was an artist and art educator, based in Los Angeles, and active in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

during the first half of the 20th century. One of his best-known works is a ceiling painting of California poppies at

Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...

, versions of which also appear in floor tiles and the walls of the station, uniting its design. This work was covered by a thick layer of soot and was rediscovered during Union Station's restoration process.

Biography

Born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, Sachs first received art training as a child under his father. He immigrated to the U.S. due to

antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

in Europe at age 17, settling in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Sachs later returned to Europe to attend art school in

, spending the 1910s in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, where he founded the Munich School of Expressionists (Munich Expressionist Werkstätten).Nancy Moure, ''Dictionary of Art and Artists in Southern California before 1930'', Los Angeles: Privately Printed, 1975. Upon returning to the United States in 1920, Sachs exhibited at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

and established the Chicago Industrial Art School. Afterward, Sachs became the first Director of the Dayton Museum of Fine Arts, now the

Dayton Art Institute The Dayton Art Institute (DAI) is a museum of fine arts in Dayton, Ohio, Dayton, Ohio, United States. The Dayton Art Institute has been rated one of the top 10 best art museums in the United States for children. The museum also ranks in the top 3% ...

. During this time, he also served as the U.S. representative of artist

George Grosz George Grosz (; ; born Georg Ehrenfried Groß; July 26, 1893 – July 6, 1959) was a German artist known especially for his caricatural drawings and paintings of Berlin life in the 1920s. He was a prominent member of the Berlin Dada and New Obj ...

. Around 1925, Sachs moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to design the interiors of the new Gas Company building. As a muralist and decorator, Sachs went on to design the interiors of many Los Angeles landmarks, including the

Bullocks Wilshire Bullocks Wilshire, located at 3050 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, is a Art Deco building. The building opened in September 1929 as a luxury department store for owner John G. Bullock (owner of the more mainstream Bullock's in Dow ...

building (now home to

Southwestern Law School Southwestern Law School is a Private university, private Law school in the United States, law school in Los Angeles, California. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and enrolls nearly 1,000 students. Its campus includes the Bullocks ...

Los Angeles City Hall Los Angeles City Hall, completed in 1928, is the center of the government of the city of Los Angeles, California, and houses the Mayor of Los Angeles, mayor's office and the meeting chambers and offices of the Los Angeles City Council. It is loca ...

, and the Title Insurance and Trust Company Building. An educator as well as an artist, Sachs also directed the Creative Art Students League of Los Angeles. Sachs was active within the L.A. Jewish exile community of artists, writers, and filmmakers who had fled Europe due to the rise of

Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...

, and later the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. His friend, the architect Rudolph Schindler, designed Sachs' L.A. house, the Manola Court Apartments.

Works

* Photography in S. Mollier, ''Plastische Anatomie. Die konstruktive Form des menschlichen Korpers'' (Munich: J.F. Bergman, 1924) *

(color consultant), Los Angeles, CA, USA, 1926–28 * ''Lehrbuch der Maltechnik'' (Berlin: Wasmuth, 1927) * Title Insurance and Trust Company Building, 1928 * ''The Spirit of Transportation'': mural in the porte-cochere of

, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 1929 *

(color consultant, ceiling paintings of California wildflowers, painted floor tiles and walls with same motif as well), Los Angeles, CA, USA, 1934–39

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sachs, Herman 1883 births 1940 deaths 20th-century American artists Jewish American artists 19th-century Romanian Jews Romanian emigrants to the United States 20th-century American Jews American people of Romanian-Jewish descent Artists from Los Angeles Jews from California