Johnny Friedlaender (1912-1992) - Composizione

Johnny Friedlaender was born in Pless (Silesia) and his early studies were in Breslau under the guidance of Otto Mueller. In 1936 Friedlaender travelled to Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, Austria, France and Belgium. At An He he held a successful exhibition of etchings and watercolors. In 1937 he fled to Paris as a political refugee of the Nazi regime together with his young wife, who was an actress. That year he held an exhibition of his engravings that included the works: L'Équipe and Matieres et Formes. From 1939 to 1943 he was interned in a series of concentration camps, but survived. After liberation in 1944 Friedlaender began a series of twelve etchings titled Images du Malheur with Sagile as publisher. In the same year he was commissioned to illustrate four books by Frères Tharaud of the French Academy. In 1945 he worked for several newspapers, including Cavalcade and Carrefour. In 1947 he created the work Rêves Cosmiques and in the same year became a member of the Salon de Mai, a position he held until 1969. In 1948 he began a friendship with the painter Nicolas de Staël and held his first exhibition in Copenhagen at Galerie Birch. The following year he exhibited for the first time at Galerie La Hune in Paris. After living in Paris for 13 years, Friedlaender became a French citizen in 1950. In 1951 Friedlaender expanded his geographic reach and exhibited in Tokyo in a modern art exhibition. In the same year he participated in the XI Triennale di Milano. In 1953 he produced works for a solo show at the Neuchâtel Museum and exhibited at Galerie Moers in Amsterdam, the Galleria II Camino in Rome, in São Paulo, Brazil, and in Paris. In the same year he participated in the Italian-French Art Conference in Turin, Italy. Friedlaender accepted an international art prize in 1957, receiving the Kakamura Biennale Prize in Tokyo. In 1959 he received a teaching assignment from UNESCO at the Modern Art Museum of Rio de Janeiro. In 1968 Friedlaender went to Puerto Rico, New York and Washington, D.C. to organize exhibitions. That year he also bought a house in the French region of Burgundy. 1971 was another year rich in international travel, with exhibitions in Bern, Milan, Paris, Krefeld and again New York. In that city he exhibited his paintings at the Far Gallery, a venue that became famous for its patronage of important artists of the 20th century. In 1978 a retrospective of Friedlaender's works was organized at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Three years later, he received the Lovis Corinth Prize in Regensburg. On the occasion of his 75th birthday, Friedlaender received a retrospective at the Museum of Art in Bremen. On the occasion of his 80th birthday he organized a retrospective exhibition in Bonn at the offices of the city council. Friedlaender died in Paris at the age of 89.
Rare engraving, edition of only 95 copies, no. 88/95