Jewish Holidays: 10 Original Serigraphs [SIGNED BY THE ARTIST AND THE PUBLISHER]
New York: B.L.D. Limited, 1977. Limited First edition. Hardcover. Elephant folio (30 1/2 x 22 6/8"). [4] leaves (Title, Introduction, List of Contents, and Colophon), [10] loose leaves (Plates), as issued. Original illustrated tan cloth portfolio, with string ties. Colophon signed by both the artist and the publisher. "Jewish Holidays" is Pinchas Shaar's most famous work in which the artist uses his talent to depict ten Jewish holidays (Yamim Noraim; Succoth; Simcath Torah; Chanukah; Tu Be'Shvat; Purim; Pesach; Yom Ha'atzmaut; Shavuot; and Shabbat). His suite of ten striking silkscreen prints are a reflection of the artist's vision: The mask-like faces of the figures representing Passover, Simchat Torah, Succoth and Chanukah lends a persistent tension and distance to the otherwise joyful and colorful holiday depictions. The colorful plates are on Vélin de Rives paper, and measure 22 x 29 7/8" (images appr. 18 x 25"). Each plate is pencil signed, and initialed A. P. (Artist Proof) by Pinchas Shaar. Two serigraphs are duplicate. Some foxing along edges of portfolio. Portfolio in overall good, interior in very good condition. g to vg. Item #39302
About the artist: At first glance, Pinchas Shaar's work boasts a determined joie de vivre and sunny optimism reflected in bright jewel-like color, animated design and naïve depictions of fables, myths and Biblical subjects. Born in Poland in 1923, Shaar went to Paris in 1948, emigrated to Israel in 1956, and finally settled in New York in 1975. His compositions are populated with lions, lambs, birds, horses, unicorns, angels and whimsical people with stylized features and enormous eyes. Charming and sensual, his work seems far removed from a youth spent in the Lodz Ghetto under the brutal Nazi rule. Yet on closer inspection, his art slowly reveals the complexities of a survivor. Shaar expressed his Jewishness in both Biblical and cultural subjects. He died in Israel in 1996.
Price: $3,250.00