FISHERMAN Issachar Ber (Zahar)

1897 (Elizavetgrad) - December 21, 1935 (Paris)

painter, graphic artist, designer, ceramist.

Since 1907 he studied at the Working Art courses in Elizavetgrad in A. Kazachinsko. In 1911 he moved to Kiev, he entered the Kiev Art School (graduated in 1916), while attending the studio Murashko. The second half of 1910 x decorator working in the Jewish Theater. Participated in a festive decoration of Kiev to the revolutionary holidays. In 1915-1916 the means of Historical-Ethnographic Society, together with El Lissitzky traveled to Ukraine, Podolia and Volhynia, where he studied folk art. He was one of the founders of the Jewish Theater Studio (later became the National Theater). In 1917 headed the section Art Culture League in Kiev. Together with B. Aronson wrote the article "Ways of the Jewish art».

In 1919 moved to Moscow, worked in the field of poster, in 1920 he returned to Kiev. He became one of the organizers of the exhibition of Jewish artists

In 1921 he left for Berlin. Exhibited his works, mostly portraits, landscapes, genre scenes, in the Berlin Secession. He went into the avant-garde association Novembergrupp "(" The November Group "). Created graphic cycles: "pogrom", "Jewish types of Ukraine", "small town", released an album of lithographs "township. My house was destroyed. He worked in the field of book illustration, designed the children's book by L. Kvitko "Birds", "In the woods," V. Smolyar Children's World. In 1923 in Berlin hosted the first exhibition of paintings and drawings of the artist.

In 1924 he returned to the USSR. Collaborated in Jewish magazines and theaters, in particular, has created costumes and sets for productions of the Kharkov Jewish Theater "in flames" and "Purimshpil. He performed the album of drawings "on the Jewish fields of Ukraine, which was published subsequently in France.

In 1926 he emigrated to Paris. In 1927 and 1934 exhibited his work in the Salon d'Automne in 1935 - in the cabin Independent. In 1928 in the gallery "Montparnasse" held a personal exhibition of the artist, followed by exhibitions in galleries in Paris "Colbert" (1930), "Bié" (1933), "Bos-ar" (1935). In 1928 participated in the exhibition of modern French art in Moscow, where his works were exhibited in the Russian department.

Home - mid 1930 - the time most creative activity of the Fisherman. In 1930 and 1932 exhibitions of his works were held in Holland and Belgium, later - in America. Great success enjoyed an exhibition organized in 1935, the Society of Arts, University of Cambridge.

Shortly before his death, turned to ceramics, created in 1934 by order of the National Archives of the dance series of colored terra cotta statues depicting Jewish folk types. Later they were transferred to a porcelain manufactory at Sevres porcelain and included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Sevres.

in 1935 died from tuberculosis.

In 1962 the artistic heritage of the master was donated to the foundation in the city of Bat Yam in Israel, the Museum of the Fisherman.

In his work addressed primarily to Jewish topics. Great influence on the formation of his individual style in painting and graphic works have MZ Chagall and Soutine H., and in the field of theatrical decorative art - Alexandra Exter. In his early works combined the features of the Fisherman German expressionism, cubism, primitivism with elements of traditional Jewish art. In Paris during the motives of Jewish poverty, riots have given way to a lyrical landscapes, portraits, decorative panels, which demonstrated the artist's desire for harmony and balance. Many worked in the techniques of etching and lithography.

works are in many domestic and foreign museums, among them the Museum of Art in Tel Aviv, the National Museum in Sevres, Victoria and Albert Museum, British Museum in London.