Israel Abramofsky (September 10, 1888 – January 16, 1975), was a Russian-born artist, who trained in Paris and settled in the United States, known for his landscape works, and works depicting Jewish life in Eastern Europe.

Biography

Abramofsky was born in

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

(present-day

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

) and left Czarist Russia for

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Austria, where he first took an interest in art. He lived briefly in Paris and arrived in the United States in 1909.

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

became his home. He went back to France in 1914, 1920 and 1925 to study with

Jean Paul Laurens Jean-Paul Laurens (; 28 March 1838 – 23 March 1921) was a romanticism French painter and sculptor, and he is one of the last major exponents of the French Academic style. Biography Laurens was born in Fourquevaux and was a pupil of Léon Co ...

and

Lucien Simon Lucien Joseph Simon (1861 – 1945) was a French painter and teacher born in Paris. Early life and education Simon was born in Paris. After graduating from the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, he studied painting at the studio of Jules Didier, then from ...

in the Julian Academy. In Paris, he saw the works of Chirico, Van Dongen, Delauney, Lhote, Leger, Ozenfant, Dufresne, Dufy, Gris, Modigliani, Segonzac, Gromaire and many others. For his first trip back to Paris from Ohio, he came with a letter of introduction from noted Toledo mayor

Brand Whitlock Brand Whitlock (March 4, 1869 – May 24, 1934) was an Americans, American journalist, attorney, politician, Georgism, Georgist, four-time mayor of Toledo, Ohio elected on the Independent ticket; ambassador to Belgium, and author of numerous arti ...

. His works have been represented in collections of the

Luxembourg Museum Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembourg ...

, the Museum in Israel, the

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 500,000 objects. Located near the Prospect Heig ...

, in numerous museums in Ohio and many private collections. In a brief biographical piece, he wrote, "I am unable to classify myself, except I hope that I am a part of the twentieth century. I do feel that my Jewish types reflect the tradition and beliefs that have kept them separate as a people since Abraham."

Exhibitions

*"Retrospective Exhibition of the Drawings and Paintings of Toledo's I. Abramovsky, March 8–19, 1966, Jewish Community Center, Toledo, Ohio *I. Abramofsky, Exhibition and Sale, March 28 through April 4, 1976, Temple Shomer Emunim, Sylvania, Ohio

References

External links

Biography
1888 births 1975 deaths Artists from Kyiv People from Kievsky Uyezd 20th-century Ukrainian Jews Jewish American painters 20th-century American painters American male painters 20th-century American male artists Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States {{Ukraine-artist-stub