Isidor Ascheim (; 1891–1968) was a German-born Israeli painter and printmaker. He is known for his work within the German Expressionist movement and his later contributions to Israeli art. Born in Margonin (present-day Poland), he studied in Breslau and was influenced by artists of the Die Brücke group. In 1940, he immigrated to Mandate Palestine, where he became an important figure in the Jerusalem art scene, notably teaching and later directing the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts. His artistic output reflects a connection to nature and the human form, often executed with a dark palette characteristic of his German Expressionist roots

Biography

Isidor Ascheim was born in Margonin (present-day

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

) in 1891. He was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family and served during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In 1919–23, Ascheim studied under the German Expressionist Otto Mueller in Breslau and was influenced by Erich Heckel of the

Die Brücke Die Brücke (The Bridge), also known as Künstlergruppe Brücke or KG Brücke, was a group of German expressionist artists formed in Dresden in 1905. The founding members were Fritz Bleyl, Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Karl Schmidt-R ...

(The Bridge) group. He immigrated to Mandate Palestine in 1940 and settled in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. He was married to the Israeli painter Margot Lange-Ascheim.

Artistic career

He taught at the Bezalel School of Art and served as its director for several years. Ascheim's art is based on a direct impression of nature, life and the human form. His oeuvre represents a continuous connection with nature and the human figure, usually executed with a dark palette, the legacy of his German Expressionist roots.Landscape by Isidor Aschheim
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Awards and recognition

*In 1953, Ascheim was a co-recipient of the Dizengoff Prize for Painting. *In 1955, he received the

Jerusalem Prize The Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society is a biennial literary award given to writers whose works have dealt with themes of human freedom in society. It is awarded at the Jerusalem International Book Forum (previously kn ...

for Art. *In 1956, he participated in the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

Selected collections

* ''Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco'' * ''Israel Museum'', Jerusalem

References

External links