Samuel Leser Schwarz, known as Mommie (28 July 1876 – 19 November 1942) was a Dutch Jewish painter and graphic artist. He also worked as a designer of book covers. In 1920, he married Else Berg. Together they became an artistic couple and were part of the Bergen School of painters. Schwarz and Berg were both murdered at Auschwitz in 1942.

Life

Schwarz was the tenth child of Leser Schwarz and Julie Winter. The family had eleven children. In 1897 he went with his brother Julius to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In 1902 Mommie Schwarz returns to Europa and registered at the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp for the evening class of 1902–1903. On 26 March 1903 he unsubscribed at the academy and returned to New York where he arrived on 11 August 1903. In 1908 or 1909 Mommie left New York for Europe. Shortly afterwards he traveled to Berlin to visit his nephew Erich and his niece Else Berg. Subsequently, Else and Mommie traveled to Paris. In 1909 or 1910 he settled with Berg in the Netherlands. In 1915 they moved to the town of Schoorl, where they established close ties with Leo Gestel and other artists from the Bergen School. The couple married in 1920 and moved to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

. From 1927 they lived adjacent to Amsterdam's Sarphatipark. By this time, Schwarz had cut all ties with

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

. The couple traveled extensively, including trips to

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

, the former

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. After the German occupation of the Netherlands in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, they refused to go into hiding or to wear the

Star of David The Star of David (, , ) is a symbol generally recognized as representing both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the Seal of Solomon was used for decora ...

. On 12 November 1942, they were arrested by the Germans and deported via the Westerbork transit camp to Auschwitz, where they were murdered immediately upon arrival on 19 November 1942.

Work

Mommie Schwarz - Gezicht op het Sarphatipark

Schwarz belonged to the Bergen School of painters and was influenced by such painters as Leo Gestel and Charley Toorop. The works of the Bergen School are characterized by Cubist figuration and expressionist influences in dark shades, which also applies to much of Schwarz's work. Schwarz is especially known for his harbor scenes, landscapes, portraits and still lifes. He also worked as an illustrator and designed book covers and posters, including illustrations for the Dutch art magazine '' Wendingen.''

Public collections

* Jewish Historical Museum in

* Museum Kranenburgh in Bergen (North Holland) * The Wieger Museum in Deurne, North Brabant

References

External links

ArtNet: More works by Schwarz.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schwarz, Mommie 1876 births 1942 deaths Dutch Jews who died in the Holocaust Dutch male painters People from Zutphen Artists from Gelderland Dutch people who died in Auschwitz concentration camp Jewish painters