Josef Herman
Josef Herman West London, England | |
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| Known for | Painting |
| Website | Josef Herman Art Foundation |
Josef Herman
Biography
Herman was born Mosek Josek Herman in
In Britain, he first lived in
In 1943 he moved to London and held his first London exhibition with L. S. Lowry.[4] Herman's own style was bold and distinctive, involving strong shapes with minimal detail. He continued to work until the late 1990s.
Herman is best known for his paintings of working people, including peasants, fishermen and, most notably, coal miners. The latter became a particular interest for Herman during the eleven years that he lived in Ystradgynlais, a mining community in South Wales, beginning in 1944.[5][6] He became part of the community, where he was fondly nicknamed "Joe Bach" (Little Joe).[7][3] Herman is quoted as saying: "I stayed here because I found ALL I required. I arrived a stranger for a fortnight. The fortnight became eleven years."[8]
When commissioned in 1951 to paint a mural for the Festival of Britain, Herman painted a group of coal miners. His work Miners (1951) showed six men resting above ground after their work. Herman said, "I think it is one of my key pictures and the most important one I did in Wales."[7] The mural is held in the permanent collection of the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, affiliated with the Swansea Museum.
Leaving Wales in 1955 because his health was affected by the damp climate, Herman returned to London.[7] He was awarded the Gold Medal for Fine Art at the 1962 National Eisteddfod of Wales.[9]
In 1955 Herman Herman met Nini Ettlinger, whom he married in 1961. They had three children: David (born 1957), Sara (1962-6) and Rebekah (born 1967). In 1962 the family moved to Little Cornard, near Sudbury, Suffolk. In 1971 the family moved briefly to Hundon also in West Suffolk. From 1972 Herman lived in the house in West London where he died in February 2000.[citation needed][4]
In 1981 Herman was awarded an
Legacy and honours
- 2004, the Josef Herman Foundation was established in Ystradgynlais, to honour the artist and his legacy, and encourage study of his work, as well as arts initiatives in South Wales.[7]
- 2010, Michael Waters' play, The Secret of Belonging, about Josef Herman and his years in Ystradgynlais, was produced by the National Theatre Wales. The play included a contemporary folk-influenced score by Swansea musician and composer Andy Jones, and it was performed by the Antic Theatre. They first performed at Swansea, then took the play on a tour of South Wales during April/May 2010.[10]
Bibliography
- Bohm-Duchen, M. (2009) The Art and Life of Josef Herman. Lund Humphries, Surrey.
- Heller, R. (1998) Josef Herman: The work is the Life. Momentum, London.
- Herman, N. (1996) Josef Hermann: A Working Life. Quartet Books, London.
- Herman, J. (1988) Note From A Welsh Diary. Free Association Books, London.
- Herman, J. (1975) Related Twilights: Notes from an Artist's Diary. Robson, London.
Selected exhibitions
- 2014–15 Refiguring the 50s: Joan Eardley, Sheila Fell, Eva Frankfurter, Josef Herman and L.S. Lowry, Ben Uri Gallery, London
- 2009 Josef Herman: The Art & Life, Flowers Central, London
- 2000 The Work is the Life, Flowers East, London
- 1994 Related Twilights, Fifty years of Drawing and Painting (1944 – 94), Angela Flowers Gallery, London
- 1989 Retrospective Exhibition, National Museum of Wales, Cardiff
- 1989 Recent works 1984–89 and Homage to the Women of Greenham Common, Angela Flowers Gallery, London
- 1980 4th retrospective exhibition, Camden Arts Centre, London
- 1975 3rd retrospective exhibition, Glasgow
- 1957 Recent works, Roland, Browse and Delbanco.
- 1956 2nd retrospective exhibition, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London Drawings,
- 1955 1st retrospective exhibition, Wakefield City Art Gallery
- 1954 Geffrye Museum, London, exhibition with Henry Moore
- 1949 Ben Uri Gallery, London, exhibition with Martin Bloch
- 1943 1st solo exhibition in London, Reid Gallery, London
- 1943 Lefevre, London, exhibition with L.S. Lowry
- 1932 1st exhibition in Warsaw
References
- ^ "BBC – Wales – Arts – Josef Herman – Josef Herman". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
- ^ "Josef Herman 1911–2000". Tate.org.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ a b Maggie Gray (2 February 2018). "Josef Herman: the Polish painter who found himself in Wales". Art UK. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Josef Herman (1911–2000) – Ben Uri Gallery & Museum". Retrieved 13 June 2018.
- ^ "Josef Herman – Josef Herman Foundation". Retrieved 13 June 2018.
- ^ Sonia Williams, Welsh Arts Archive
- ^ a b c d "Miners, 1951 - Josef Herman" Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, Swansea Heritage.net, accessed 13 October 2010
- ^ "Ystradgynlais Town Centre Masterplan Final Report September 2010" (PDF). powys.moderngov.co.uk. September 2010. p. 19. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ Laura Chamberlain (26 July 2011) "Archbishop of Canterbury to present Eisteddfod art award", BBC Wales (blog), accessed 20 January 2015.
- ^ "The Secret of Belonging", Community, National Theatre Wales, accessed 13 October 2010
Further reading
- Roese, Herbert E. (2007), Josef Herman's influence on other painters, David Jones Journal Vol.VI No.1&2, pp. 138–145
- MacDougall, Sarah, (2014), Refiguring the 50s : Joan Eardley, Sheila Fell, Eva Frankfurther, Josef Herman, L S Lowry, Ben Uri Gallery and Museum
External links
Herman's work is held in many major public and private art collections.
- 64 artworks by or after Josef Herman at the Art UK site
- 14 artworks by Josef Herman at the Ben Uri site
- The Tate Gallery in London has an extensive collection of Herman's paintings and drawings. Many are not on permanent display, but they may be seen on line at: The Tate Gallery.
- A smaller collection is held by the National Museum of Wales.
- Josef Herman (1911-2000) at boundarygallery.com
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