Still-life with cherries

This still-life was probably painted in Paris where Benzion Zukerman (1890– 1944) lived after studying art in Berlin. He signed the picture in Latin letters, with an eye to the French whom he supposed would be potential buyers. The subject is attractive, although not really exceptional. Hundreds of such still-lifes have been painted, but buyers liked them. For us, this still-life is valuable as another example of the Litvak artistic heritage. Zukerman was quite successful in Paris. He at once became part of the multinational world of artists in the capital of Modernism, met his Russian countrymen who lived in the artists’ colony known as La Ruche (The  Beehive), and held a solo exhibition in 1913. However, despite his success, he returned to Russia in 1916, which was then embroiled in war. He settled in St  Petersburg, but by 1919 he was living in Vilnius. After holding an exhibition in Kaunas in 1920, he left for Palestine.

Text author Giedrė Jankevičiūtė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album OBJECTS ON SHOW (2017). Compiler and author Giedrė Jankevičiūtė
Expositions: “Académie de Vilna. Vilnius Drawing School (1866–1915)”, 5 October – 26 November 2017, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius (curator Jolanta Širkaitė). Published: Académie de Vilna: Vilniaus piešimo mokykla 1866-1915 / Vilnius drawing school: Exhibition Catalogue, Nacionalinė dailės galerija 2017 m. 4 d. - lapkričio 26 d., compiled by Jolanta Širkaitė, Vilnius: Lietuvos kultūros tyrimų institutas, 2017, p. 363.

This still-life was probably painted in Paris where Benzion Zukerman (1890– 1944) lived after studying art in Berlin. He signed the picture in Latin letters, with an eye to the French whom he supposed would be potential buyers. The subject is attractive, although not really exceptional. Hundreds of such still-lifes have been painted, but buyers liked them. For us, this still-life is valuable as another example of the Litvak artistic heritage. Zukerman was quite successful in Paris. He at once became part of the multinational world of artists in the capital of Modernism, met his Russian countrymen who lived in the artists’ colony known as La Ruche (The  Beehive), and held a solo exhibition in 1913. However, despite his success, he returned to Russia in 1916, which was then embroiled in war. He settled in St  Petersburg, but by 1919 he was living in Vilnius. After holding an exhibition in Kaunas in 1920, he left for Palestine.

Text author Giedrė Jankevičiūtė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album OBJECTS ON SHOW (2017). Compiler and author Giedrė Jankevičiūtė
Expositions: “Académie de Vilna. Vilnius Drawing School (1866–1915)”, 5 October – 26 November 2017, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius (curator Jolanta Širkaitė). Published: Académie de Vilna: Vilniaus piešimo mokykla 1866-1915 / Vilnius drawing school: Exhibition Catalogue, Nacionalinė dailės galerija 2017 m. 4 d. - lapkričio 26 d., compiled by Jolanta Širkaitė, Vilnius: Lietuvos kultūros tyrimų institutas, 2017, p. 363.