Lot 40
Arthur Szyk(Polish, 1894-1951)The Jewish fish seller (image size)
29 February 2012, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond StreetSold for £15,000 inc. premium
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Arthur Szyk (Polish, 1894-1951)
The Jewish fish seller
signed, inscribed and dated 'Arthur Szyk, London, 1938' (lower left)
gouache
13.3 x 9.8cm (5 1/4 x 3 7/8in).(image size)
signed, inscribed and dated 'Arthur Szyk, London, 1938' (lower left)
gouache
13.3 x 9.8cm (5 1/4 x 3 7/8in).(image size)
Footnotes
Polish-born artist Arthur Szyk is most celebrated for his anti-Axis caricatures during World War II that were described as "powerful as a bomb, clear in conception, definite and deadly in [their] execution." Szyk fled to England in 1937 where he stayed until 1940. It was during this period that the present lot was painted. In 1940 the British sent him to the United States in an attempt to sway American public opinion in favour of their war against Hitler.
The impact that Szyk had on American citizens was noted by Eleanor Roosevelt, claming"This is a personal war of Szyk against Hitler, and I do not think that Mr. Szyk will lose this war!"
Szyk's art is characterised by a jewel-like precision and glowing colour reminiscent of medieval hand-illumined manuscripts. As an exceptional book illustrator he produced works for renowned novels such as The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, The Canterbury Tales, The Arabian Nights Entertainments and Andersen's Fairy Tales. In 1939 Szyk dedicated a stunning Haggadah to King George VI which The Times heralded as "among the most beautiful books that the hand of man has produced."
After the Second World War, Szyk became a great supporter of the new state of Israel.
The present lot depicts a fish seller in a town in Poland, possibly intended as an illustration for a storybook.