Notes

Room 403

"Jean David was born in Bucharest, Romania, in 1908. He was a painter and designer, known for his contributions to the Romanian avant-garde and to the early modernist art of Israel. He studied between 1927 and 1937 at various art academies in Paris. In 1929 he participated for the first time at a collective exhibition in Bucharest and in 1933 he had his first solo exhibition (in the same city).

In the early 1930s he was a member of the Surrealist group ‘unu’ (meaning ‘one’). In 1942, he left Romania in a boat with 12 other Jews, including Theodor Brauner, the brother of Victor Brauner. After being captured by British authorities in Cyprus, he managed to reach Palestrina in 1944. Following his release in 1944 he was drafted into the British Brigade, where he served as a painter until 1946. When the War of Independence broke out in Israel, he was drafted into the Israeli Navy. In 1949 he went to live in Jerusalem, where he was active in developing ceramic arts, works in copper, and artistic wall hangings under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade and Industry. In 1950, together with Marcel Janco, he founded in Israel the artist village known as Ein Hod. He also gained much reputation as a muralist and especially designer, having designed numerous posters and other works for the El Al airline.

David produced colourful, decorative poster designs, wallhangings for the Israeli fashion house Maskit, and decorative elements for public buildings. His paintings were surrealistic in character and included images from nature and landscapes.

Education

1927 École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Paris, Paris, France

1930 Painting, Academie de la Grande Chaumiere, Paris, France; Académie Scandinave, Paris, France; Nouvelle Academie Libre, Paris, France

Adapted from: Jean David, Artist’s Biography, Beloosesky Gallery, New York, https://www.beloosesky.com/artists/jean-david