Arthur KOLNIK (1890-1972) Lot n° 209

Purim spiel Paris, ca. 1950 Oil on panel Signed lower right H_80 cm W_59 cm Arthur Kolnik (1890 - 1972), Jewish painter and engraver, was born in Stanislavov, a small town in Galicia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow in the studio of Professor Joseph Mehoffer. Arthur Kolnik was drafted to serve in the army during the First World War. He exhibited in the United States of America in 1921. On his return, Kolnik settled in Chernivtsi. In 1931, the artist moved to Paris where he worked as an illustrator. The Tel Aviv Museum of Art organized a large exhibition of Kolnik's work in 1968. Arthur Kolnik died in Paris in 1972. His paintings with Jewish themes - mainly figures - express the artist's sensitivity through expressive and colorful faces.