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Artworks
Lazar Berson was born in 1882 in the village of Skopichky, Russia (now Lithuania). At the turn of the century, he studied painting in St Petersburg, where he was influenced by the Jewish cultural renaissance, and the renewed interest in Russian and Jewish folk art and craft. Berson took these ideas to Paris, where he continued his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts and exhibited at the Salon d’automne alongside Marc Chagall, Leon Bakst, and Jules Pascin.
To find out how he came to England and founded the Ben Uri Art Society, click here
@Lazar Berson estatePhoto: Bridgeman imagesIn 1915 Lazar Berson founded 'The Jewish-National Decorative Art Association (London) Ben Ouri', in Whitechapel in London's East End. In 'the Ben Uri studio' in West London he brought together a number of Jewish East End artisans who, together with the jeweller Moshe Oved, worked on a series of decorative 'Jewish' designs on wooden plates and bowls. In addition, Berson produced the 'Ben Uri Albom: natsional yidish dekorativer kunst-ferayin, noch yidishe motive fun fargangene tsaytn', comprising an introduction in Yiddish and six plates with reproductions of works by Lazar Berson (with Jewish motifs including the Shema Israel prayer, Menorahs and Stars of David). One plate depicts a monument to Theodor Herzl. Printed on the cover of the album (a thick paper sheet, folded in half) are words of introduction about Berson by Israel Zangwill (in English) and the Ben Uri regulations (in Yiddish). It was printed in 1916 by the Ukrainian-born Hebraist Israel Narodiczky (1874–1942), an East End printer, to raise funds for the Ben Uri gallery.Provenance
Presented by Max Stempl (Antwerp), 20021of 9
