Zygmunt Józef Menkes (1896-1986)
Figures, ca. mid-20th century.
Ink on paper, 22 × 30 cm
Signed p. d.: Menkes
Born in Lviv in 1896, Zygmunt Jozef Menkes was one of the leading representatives of the so-called second generation of École de Paris - Polish and Jewish artists who co-created the Paris avant-garde milieu in the interwar period. He studied painting at the Lviv Industrial School and the Cracow Academy of Fine Arts under Jozef Pankiewicz. In the 1920s he went to Berlin and then to Paris, where he became associated with the circle of artists centered around Montparnasse, including Moses Kisling, Marc Chagall and Chaim Soutine.
Menkes' work is characterized by expressive drawing, a vivid, often saturated color palette and deformed forms, emphasizing the emotional message. The subjects of his works included portraits, genre scenes, still lifes and figural compositions. After emigrating to the United States in 1935, he settled in New York, where for many years he was a lecturer at the Art Students League and an active participant in artistic life.
The work on display is an example of free ink sketching, in which the artist operates with a dynamic, decisive line, building a figural scene with great expressive power. The outline of the figure and architecture was treated synthetically, almost calligraphically, which emphasizes the spontaneity and sketchy nature of the composition.
Menkes' works are in the collections of, among others, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the National Museum in Warsaw and many private collections around the world.
Provenance: private collection, Israel.
Condition: good, minor traces of paper aging.
