MASTERPIECES FROM THE BEN URI COLLECTION
JOSEF HERMAN (1911-2000) REFUGEES
1941
Gouache on paper
Signed and titled on reverse of backing board: 'Refugees by Josef Herman'
JOSEF HERMAN
Josef Herman's painting Refugees powerfully conveys the emotional upheaval and trauma experienced by those displaced by conflict Executed with expressive, dramatic brushwork, the composition employs stark contrasts of color and form to evoke a mood of anxiety and urgency Dominating the painting is a tense fami-
ly group depicted in the foreground, their wide-eyed, fearful expressions reflecting vulnerability and uncertainty The mother tightly embraces an infant, while a protective father figure clutches essential belongings, underscoring their forced displacement Behind them, an ominous, symbolic black cat depicted as disproportionately large and menacing looms over the rooftops, holding prey in its mouth, suggesting the pervasive threat and danger from which the family flees. The distorted perspective and exaggerated forms intensify the sense of chaos and emotional distress Influenced by Expressionism, Herman's approach in this work clearly reflects his personal experiences of flight, first from Poland due to antisemitic persecution, and later through Belgium and France to Britain during World War II Through his distinctive painterly language, informed by Belgian Expressionist aesthetics encountered during his time in Brussels, Herman poignantly captures the universal plight of refugees, transforming their harrowing experience into a compelling visual narrative of displacement, fear, and survival
Painter and draughtsman Josef Herman was born into a Jewish, working-class family in Warsaw, Poland on 3 January 1911. He studied at the Warsaw School of Art and Decoration (1930-31), and first exhibited in his native city in 1932 Painter and draughtsman Josef Herman was born into a Jewish, working-class family in
in Warsaw, Poland on 3 January 1911. He studied at the Warsaw School of Art and Decoration (1930-31), and first exhibited in his native city in 1932 Following increasing anti-Semitism, he left Poland for Brussels in 1938, where he was inspired by the Belgian Expressionists With the onset of the Second World War, he was forced to flee via southern France and arrived in Glasgow in 1940, where he was reunited with fellow Polish artist Jankel Adler, whom he had known briefly in Warsaw Together the two artists contributed, together with Scottish Colourist J D Fergusson, to a resurgence of the Scottish arts scene during this period Herman moved briefly to London in 1943, exhibiting at the Lefevre Galleries, London (with L S Lowry, 1943) prior to his relocation to the Welsh mining village of Ystradgynlais (1944-55), which gave rise to his best-known body of work focusing on the Welsh miners and their community
In 1951 he was included in the South Bank Festival of Britain Exhibition and continued to exhibit widely including with the émigré art dealers Roland, Browse & Delbanco (1946, 1948, 1952, then regularly until 1975), in London, with Ben Uri (including alongside Martin Bloch in 1949), at the Geffrye Museum (with Henry Moore, 1954), the Whitechapel Art Gallery (1956) and Camden Arts Centre (1980), as well as at the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff (1989), Abbot Hall, Kendal (2005), and many further exhibitions with Flowers and Flowers East Galleries, who represented him for many years. Josef Herman died in London, England on 19 February 2000 His work is represented in numerous UK public collections including London (Tate, V&A), Wales (National Museum), Scotland (Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art); as well as in Canada, Australia, Israel, South Africa and New Zealand An exhibition exploring his early years in Warsaw, Brussels, Glasgow and London, 1938-43 was held at Ben Uri Gallery in 2011
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
COLLECTION: https://benuri.org/collections/
BURU: https://www.buru.org.uk/
