Maurice Bismouth (1891-1965) - Petit Portrait d'un Rabbin - Judaïca (vendu sans prix de réserve )

We present to you this superb little oil on cardboard depicting an Orientalist portrait of a rabbi by Maurice Bismouth (1891-1965)

Title: Portrait of a Rabbi

Technique: Oil on cardboard.

Artist: Maurice Bismouth (1891-1965)

Signed at the bottom right.

Sheet size: 14.9 x 9.9 cm.

Condition: Good overall, a bit dirty. Cardboard not perfectly straight.

Maurice Bismouth (1891-1965) was a Franco-Tunisian painter born in Tunis into a Jewish family and who died in Los Angeles. Noticed very early for his artistic talents by his teacher Émile Pinchart at Tunis Lycée Carnot, he began his career by exhibiting at the Tunis Salon from 1912, then undertook between 1921 and 1922 a decisive journey to Egypt which enriches his palette and inspiration for a long time. Thanks to a scholarship awarded by the Tunisian government in 1924, he trained in Venice before joining Paris where he entered the École des Beaux-Arts as well as the renowned studios of Jules Adler and Léon Bellemont. Returning to his country, he became a major figure of the Tunis School and received an honorable mention at the Tunis Salon in 1927, followed by a prestigious award at the Exposition internationale d'art colonial de Rome in 1932. His work, marked by a great luminous sensibility and an expressive touch, is particularly devoted to immortalizing scenes of Jewish life, the interiors of synagogues, portraits of rabbis in prayer as well as Mediterranean landscapes. Regularly presented in the major Parisian and Tunisian salons until 1960, he eventually emigrated permanently to California in 1962 with his daughters. He died in Los Angeles in 1965, leaving behind a precious pictorial testimony preserved today in important public collections, such as the Museum of Jewish Art and History in Paris or the Barjeel Art Foundation."} } })